Chuck vs The Prodigal Daughter
by BillAtWork
Summary: Follows Dark Intersect. Kate is now a grown woman – running Janice's campaign to possibly be president. Since their enemies can't openly attack Janice, they go after Kate. Can Team Chuck protect her? Chuck and Sarah have their own problems.
1. The Victory Party

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. It directly follows Chuck vs. The Dark Intersect. In a way, it's the story of Sarah – the one that I could never bring myself to tell. Kate has some advantages over Sarah when she was that age. Kate has a loving family and friends. She has Casey and newly elected Senator Janice Casey living next door. But she also has some huge disadvantages. She is a newbie in a ruthless town. And she has some serious family enemies to deal with - people who wouldn't mind destroying her to get back at her parents - especially because of the secret mission that they performed some ten years ago. Let's see how far she falls – and how far Chuck, Sarah – and Casey will go to get her back. Charah fans – don't fret. There will be lots of that. Chuck and Sarah are in the bad guy's sights as well. As always, it won't be hard to pick out my bad guys - well, most of them anyway._

_Fair warning – This might get fairly dark. I've always held back writing Sarah's dark side. Not so sure I feel the same reluctance with Kate. I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit. If you ever get the chance, PM my good friend Poa and thank her for teaching me how to dance, lol._

_I want to say – I'm honestly not trying to make a partisan political statement with this. I see Janice as a Republican – just like Casey. That also works best for the story. A Republican who had the potential to carry California would become very, very powerful. In today's political landscape, a Republican presidential candidate who could carry California would almost be assured of winning. And that means that the bad guys who are desperately trying to stop her – aren't Republican. But I certainly don't mean to infer that ruthlessness or dirty tricks are limited to one political party. I don't believe that's true._

_All of the normal Bill promises still apply – it just may not seem like it for a while. And, as always, if you jump to any conclusions early in a BillAtWork story – well, you only have yourself to blame, lol._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Victory Party**

x-x-x-x-x

There was one thing that was abundantly clear – Janice Beckman-Casey could sure deliver a rousing speech. Well now – make that Senator-elect Beckman-Casey. The polls had only closed barely a half hour ago – but the issue hadn't been in any doubt for weeks – every since the opponent stopped spending money and pulled all of his ads.

The ballroom was absolutely packed – and more people were waiting outside hoping for the chance to get in. The atmosphere was completely festive. Everywhere you looked, balloons and confetti filled the air. An ensemble band was already waiting for the speech to be finished so they could start the evening's entertainment.

Sarah stood on the platform and grinned at her friend. Her days in the Secret Service had taught her one thing for sure - Victory parties were a lot more fun when you actually won the election. Janice was clearly enjoying herself. Sarah sometimes had a hard time believing how smoothly Janice had made the transition from sexy-kick-ass to polished political professional. She was truly in her element. In fact, it really didn't matter that most of the men weren't really listening to her anyway. Janice still had a way of mesmerizing the men. After all, she was still quite the beauty… Sarah also had to grin as she watched Casey standing there holding her hand. As much as Janice was enjoying this – Casey was wishing that he was anywhere else. But Sarah had to admit. He looked very handsome in that blue suit. And you had to know him pretty well to know that the smile was forced. That alone was a testament to how much he loved her.

"I just received a call from the President," Janice said as soon as she could calm the cheering crowd that had packed the ballroom enough to be heard. "He offered his congratulations on our huge victory tonight."

That sent the crowd into another frenzy.

Janice stood smiling at the podium for a long moment, just allowing the crowd's enthusiasm to wash over her. "And…" she finally tried to continue. "And… And he pledged to work with us. Even though we are on different sides of the political aisle, we agreed to find ways to work together to protect this great country."

Chuck turned to his daughter Kate with his own grin. "Of course the President called her," he said, shouting to be heard over the roar the crowd that was now chanting 'U-S-A U-S-A'. "He's afraid that she's going to be taking his job."

The smile on Kate's face faded slightly. "Dad," she shouted back. "Please don't say anything like that to the press. If they suspect that we're thinking about a presidential run in two years, it's all they will talk about."

Chuck put his hand on Kate's shoulder – but his smile didn't fade. "Don't worry," he said. "I would never say anything. For one thing, why would the press want to talk to me? Who am I?"

Kate's smile returned to its full force. "Yeah," she said sarcastically. "You're nobody - just maybe the biggest hero in the nation's history. Too bad nobody knows it."

Sarah leaned in with her own grin. She was making no effort to keep the pride from her voice. "Katie," she said. "Don't you think you can enjoy yourself for one night? You don't have to be Aunt Janice's handler any more tonight. The election is over. You won by the biggest margin in the whole country. I know that you were anxious to prove to everybody that you were up to this challenge – but you have. This is a party. Relax a little."

Kate just grinned at her mother. "Sorry, Mom," she said. "I'm not sure how it is in the spy business – but this is politics. You can never relax. Not for an instant."

x-x-x-x-x

It was the stereotypical smoke filled back room - except there was no actual smoke. That had gone out of style years ago. But, make no mistake, it was clearly the type of room where political careers were made – and ended. Inside, a group a middle aged men sat around a television watching election coverage.

_As we continue to watch Senator-elect Casey's victory party, let's continue our round table panel discussion. Although it had been widely expected for some time now, this victory officially shifts the balance of power in the Senate. That means all of the powerful committee chairmanships switch parties. What does this mean for the President's agenda?_

_It's huge, Jim. The main thing that it means is that now any legislation can be bottled up in…_

"All in all," one of the men sighed, "tonight didn't turn out too badly. We kept the House. We expected to lose control of the Senate. At least, it is only by one vote. That's not too bad for a midterm."

"I suppose," another man replied. "But this Janice Casey is going to be a real issue for us. With her background, she is almost assuredly going to be on the Intelligence Committee. You know what that means…"

"That's not even the worst of it," the first man interrupted. "She might eventually ask some embarrassing questions on the committee – but they are clearly anointing her for a presidential run. Imagine if she becomes president. She'll become commander in chief. She'll have access to all of the Ring's activities. She'll declare war on us. We're not powerful enough yet to fight the president openly."

_And now we're joined by Senator-elect Casey's campaign manager and soon to be chief of staff, Kate Bartowski. Ms. Bartowski is the youngest campaign manager in history. Thank you for joining us, Kate. Congratulations on your amazingly effective campaign. I can tell that you're very happy tonight._

_Thank you, Jim. Yes we're very pleased. Now it's time to get to Washington and start doing what the great people of California elected Senator-elect Casey to do. The hard work has just begun._

_Tell me. There's a lot of talk about a possible presidential run…_

"She has to be stopped," the second man sighed. "But how? If our real agenda becomes public, we'll get drummed out of our own party. We don't have any way to attack her. We tried smearing her character in the campaign. That completely backfired on us. We took a virtually unknown state representative and made her out to be some kind of sexy kick-ass super model war hero."

"It's worse than that," the original man grumbled. "Now she has the most broad based coalition of any candidate in the country. She's the darling of the Right-wing national security crowd – as well as the Left leaning feminist movement. The Soccer moms absolutely worship her. The night she went on Letterman was his highest rated show – ever. She just won a senate seat by the largest margin in the country. If she turns California red…"

"Then we're dead," one of the men sighed. "There is no way for us to win without California. The only hope is for a scandal of some kind - maybe a sex scandal."

"She's far to savvy for that," the second man said. "She has been around the block way too many times. That's how we got into trouble with her in the first place. Every time we mention sex and Casey in the same breath, her poll numbers go up two points."

"Would somebody turn the fucking channel?" one of the men shouted. "I can't stand listening to that snot nosed kid grinning like that. Isn't it past her bedtime?"

"I think it is past her bedtime," someone replied. "But take a look at her. I sure as hell wouldn't mind tucking her in – maybe a couple of times. Imagine – twenty-one and chief of staff for a senator. What ever happened to paying your dues?"

"Wait a minute," said the first man. "Maybe that's the answer. Casey is too savvy to fall for anything - but this kid isn't. Maybe she can be compromised in some way."

"So what if she could be? Chiefs of Staff mess up all the time. Casey will just dump her. It would be news for a day – at most."

"No way," the man replied. "Do you know who that is? It's Sarah Walker's daughter. I think we all recognize that name. Bartowski is far more than just a staff worker. She is a best friend. Senator Casey treats her like her own daughter. She will do anything to protect her."

"Anything? Even give up the possibility of becoming president?"

That definitely changed the tone of the room. Now there were smiles all around.

"Let's find out."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate's eyes anxiously searched the room. This was the back room – where the invitation-only private party was being held. Well, private might be a little over stating it. There were still a couple hundred or so people there. But it was surely more private than the crazy mob that was packed into the main ballroom. And certainly the food was a clear notch better – and the drinks flowed freely. There were still lots of press walking around – but at least there were no cameras. Finally Kate found who she was looking for and approached her.

"I just saw your interview," the woman said with a dazzling smile. "Congratulations, sweetie. You were superb. You played him like a violin."

"Thanks, Aunt Elise," Kate said as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry that Uncle Joe and the boys couldn't make it."

"Yeah," Elise said. "Well, it is going to be a late night – and the boys have school tomorrow. Where's Paul?"

Kate sighed. She now knew the real reason why Uncle Joe had stayed home. One thing that she learned from her mom in Vegas explained something that she had always wondered about - why Janice and Joe always seemed to avoid each other. There was never any open hostility – they just both clearly implicitly agreed not to ever be in the same place for very long. She also knew why Elise was, not so subtly, trying to change the subject. "Paul's around someplace," she said, forcing a smile on her face. "He knows that I'm working. Chuck Junior is keeping him busy for me. At least he's good for something."

Kate had seen many pictures of Elise when she was younger. And naturally, she had grown up with her Aunt Elise constantly around. There was no question but that she had always been uncommonly beautiful. But Kate had to admit – she was now absolutely stunning. Even though she was in her mid-forties – she could easily pass for twenty-nine. Her mom said that it was because of the glow that she always carried on her face after she married Joe. Aunt Janice never failed to correct her. She said that there must be some other reason. It became a good way for her mom to get under Aunt Janice's skin – and it was used quite often. But, whatever the reason – Elise was gorgeous. Even her dress was impeccable – a spaghetti strap burgundy number with a modest slit and even more modest neckline – but it had heads turning wherever she walked.

Elise just smiled knowingly. "I talked to your mom," she said. "I'm so happy that she finally told you about everything. There were so many times when you were growing up that I wanted to talk to you about – well, about things. You don't want Paul to see how much you're getting hit on tonight. You're trying to hide it from him, right? I've been there, you know?"

Kate's shoulders noticeably sagged. "Oh my God," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "Aunt Elise - I've been hit on more tonight than the rest of my life combined. They are not even trying to be smooth. That creepy guy from the Post was the absolute worst. I have his complete set of fingerprints on my butt. Is this what Washington is going to be like?"

Elise reached over and rubbed Kate's back gently. "I'm afraid so," she said. "They are going to be all over you. You're wrong about one thing – they are trying to be smooth. You're just so gorgeous. It flusters them. I hate to be the one to tell you this – but tonight is nothing. We're in a public place. Wait until they get you in private. You do realize that there is a limit to how much of that crap you have to take?"

"I know," Kate sighed. "I just don't want to start anything tonight. The press would eat that up. They would point to it as an example of my inexperience causing issues. That's all we need."

"Have you talked about it to your mom?" Elise asked. "Or to Janice? Trust me, Katie. I know how it feels to be pawed on – and have no way to get out of it. It's not fun."

Kate looked at Elise frantically. "Please, Aunt Elise," she said. "Please don't say anything to either of them. They still think I'm fourteen. I can handle myself."

Elise smiled. "I think you'd be surprised at how much they would understand," she said. "After all, they both went through it. But in the meantime, you know that you can always talk to me, right?"

Kate just nodded.

"I mean it, Katie," Elise said. "Anytime of the day or night – no matter how silly you think it is. Call me and we'll talk about it. I promise it won't get back to your mom."

Kate had to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Thanks," she said. "That means a lot to me. Aunt Elise, could I ask you for another huge favor?"

That snapped Elise's head up. "Of course," she said. "What is it?"

Kate smiled. "Uncle Casey," she said. "Tonight is so not his thing. He's had a few glasses of scotch... and well, you know what that does to him. If he blurts out that Aunt Janice is planning on running for president… we've got big problems. Could you maybe go talk to him for a while – and hopefully keep the press away from him? You're the only person who can control him. I'm sorry to ask you this at a party…"

Elise just held out her hand to stop Kate. "Don't worry, sweetie," she interrupted with a grin. "You have enough things to worry about tonight. I've got this one. After all, I've been controlling your Uncle Casey for over twenty years now."

"Thanks, Aunt Elise," Kate said with a sigh of relief. "You're a life saver. Make sure that you tell your guys how much I miss them."

Elise got a twinkle in her eye. "Robbie really wanted to come tonight," she said. "He has such a crush on you."

Kate grinned knowingly. "I know," she said. "He's so cute. Tell him I said hi – and that in two years, the girls will be crawling all over him. I'll be so jealous."

"Two years?" Elise asked in mock horror. "He'll only be fourteen."

x-x-x-x-x

It was quite a while before Janice finally led Kate into their private suite. Naturally, security was very tight. They needed an armed escort to even get on their floor. It was something that Kate didn't think she would ever get used too. Janice didn't seem to even notice. Once the door closed behind them, they both visibly relaxed.

"How do you do it?" Kate asked. "How can you keep up that relaxed smile all night?"

Janice just grinned. "Seduction training," she replied. "Just think of the press as a mark – and tell them what they want to hear."

Kate grinned back. "Maybe I should take seduction training," she said. "Because I want to scream."

Janice's smile faded – a little. "Don't even kid about that," she said. "Your mom would bury my body in a shallow grave. She's already pissed at me for telling you about Cleveland. You wanted to talk to me. Is there something wrong?"

Kate paused for a long moment – and the smile definitely left her face. "I've been doing some thinking," she said. "Please don't misunderstand - I really appreciate the faith that you've shown in me. But the fact is that my age is becoming an issue in the press. They are using it to question your judgment. Maybe we should think about picking a chief of staff who has more experience. I'll understand."

Janice immediately got serious. "What are you telling me?" she asked. "Be honest with me. Are you getting cold feet about moving to Washington? I thought that this is what you wanted."

"No way," Kate said as she grabbed Janice's hand. "This is my dream job. I just feel like I'm robbing you of something. That maybe you deserve someone with more experience - someone who can do the job better. And the truth is – I love you, Aunt Janice. And more than that, I admire you. I don't want to cheat you out of anything. You can seriously be president. You need the best people around you."

Janice just wrapped her arms around Kate. "Katie," she said. "Let me tell you a story. A good friend of mine was in a similar situation once. She was tasked with doing a tough job – with someone who she loved. And she thought for a long time that she was cheating him – that someone else could do the job better. It kind of made them both miserable for a long time."

Kate just nodded.

"But they were patient," Janice continued. "And what she eventually found out was pretty simple - that loving someone actually makes you perform in the job better - that you'll do things for someone that you love far more than someone you only see as a job. And just like your dad needed your mom to protect him – I need you to protect me. I saw you running around the room tonight like a chicken with her head cut off - attending to every detail – and do you know what I thought?"

Kate shook her head.

Janice withdrew enough to smile at Kate. "I thought that I was the luckiest person in the world," she said. "I thought that I couldn't possibly have a better person working with me. You couldn't pay someone enough to care that much – you only get that with someone who loves you. So I expect your butt to be on that plane Thursday morning at ten. Are we clear?"

Kate just grinned – and nodded.

"And Kate," Janice continued. "I know that I don't say this nearly enough. I'm not sure why… But you know how very much I love you, right?"

Kate nodded again.

"I know people say that you got this job because of that," Janice said. "They're just jealous. Please don't listen to them. You deserve this. Your campaign was brilliant."

That was what Kate needed to hear. She had to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Thanks, Aunt Janice," was all she could get out.

Kate and Janice just held each other for a long moment. "There is also something that you should know about," Kate finally said. "The press is starting to call my Mom, Aunt Ellie, and Aunt Elise your court. They are calling you the Retro Homecoming Queen and her court."

"Oh lord," Janice laughed. "What did your mom say about that? I don't even think that Ellie voted for me."

"I don't know," Kate said. "I'm afraid to tell her. I think that Aunt Ellie voted for you. I heard her and Dad talking about how hard it was. I don't think that Uncle Devon did…"

"Please let me tell your mom," Janice said with a laugh of her own. "How do you think we should play this?"

"Please let me tell her," Janice said with a laugh of her own. "How do you think we should play this?"

Kate grinned. "I think we should ignore it," she said. "For now anyway. Hopefully our opponents will pick up on it. If they do, I've already prepared a press release detailing the people that they are mocking. Two war heroes and a woman who put herself through medical school. We'll compare that to some of their accomplishments."

"They'll look foolish," Janice said.

"Yup," Kate said. "Their sexist attitude is the gift that just keeps giving. It's going to make you president."

Janice pulled her in tightly again. "And you think that you're too inexperienced," she whispered incredulously into Kate's ear. "That is absolutely brilliant. So here is what I want. No more work tonight. Go find Paul, get him a drink – maybe two, dance with him, whisper some nonsense in his ear about how much he means to you, and leave him a lovesick mess – counting the minutes before he gets to join you in Washington. Consider that an order."

"He is already a lovesick mess," Kate said with a smile. "I think that I am too."

"Well," Janice said. "You're not going to see him for a few weeks. Katie, I know that you're cautious about the physical stuff – but would it be so horrible if you spent the next couple of days in his bed? You both deserve it. We're way past senior prom. I think that even Uncle Casey would understand this time."

"I'm not worried about Uncle Casey," Kate said with a grin. "It's my dad who will have a stroke."

"Don't worry about your dad," Janice said. "I'll talk to him. After all, I know what he was like – it was sickening."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah didn't try and hold back the tears. After all, that would have been pointless. Of course, she had known for months that this day was coming – all babies leave the nest sometime. But it was still hard. It seemed like only yesterday that she was learning how to give baby Katie a bath. Now here she was – getting on a plane. Sure, she would come home again – to visit. But she would never live there again.

Sarah hated to cry in public. Well, actually, she didn't like to cry at any time – but especially in public. So she buried her head in Chuck's chest for as long as she could while he gently rubbed her back.

"Come on, Mom," Kate said with a smile as she pulled out of Paul's arms long enough to put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I'm just moving to Washington – I'm not dying. I'll be back before you know it. We'll talk on the phone every day. And I'm sure that Chuck Junior and Bryce can find enough trouble to keep your mind occupied."

Sarah was finally able to compose herself enough to lift her head off Chuck's chest. "Promise me something," she said. "Take good care of her. I don't want to hear about her getting into any trouble."

Janice nodded. "Don't worry," she said. "I got you through those years, didn't I? Kate will be fine."

Sarah just grinned through her tears. "Actually," she said. "I was talking to Kate."

x-x-x-x-x

"Do you understand your assignment?" the voice on the phone asked.

"Yes, sir," she answered. "It's really pretty simple. Make friends with her and get her to screw every man that shows any interest. This should be fun. After all, she is very beautiful. There will be no problem getting my guy to – umm – cooperate. How far off the deep end should I get her to go?"

"As far as you can," the voice said. "It would be great if you could get her to actually fall in love with the lifestyle. If we can get her to the point of questioning her loyalty... We might actually get her to betray someone. A sex tape would be nice to be able to threaten her boss with leaking. The internet would eat that up."

"What about drugs?" she asked.

"That would be perfect," the voice replied. "Imagine - not only Senator Casey's protégé – but Sarah Walker's daughter ends up a coke head... our revenge would be even sweeter. Pregnant would also be a nice touch. Do you have any issues?"

"A couple," she replied. "Her parents are pretty savvy. What if they suspect what is going on? And there is a boyfriend. By all accounts they are very close."

"Don't worry," the voice said. "We are already dealing with those problems on our end. We have some plans for the parents. We have a mission planned for them that will keep them busy. Who knows – maybe we can break them up as well. We're also going to be taking care of the boyfriend."

"Taking care of him?" she asked. "What does that mean? Seduction? Or something else? I really don't see him as being a good candidate for seduction."

"I think we'll try diversion," the voice replied. "But maybe after you've broken her – we'll give you a shot at the boyfriend. That might be fun. Don't worry. Whatever happens – you'll have deniability. You just worry about getting her loosened up and between the sheets with your guy. Let me worry about that other stuff."

"A heartbroken girl on her own for the first time," she said. "You're making this too easy."

"You're welcome," the voice said sarcastically. "Of course, I can't emphasize enough how discreet this activity has to be."

"Yes, sir - I understand."

"We're all set up for you to attend the welcome ball," the voice said. "Contact me again when she is under your control. Until then, good luck."

x-x-x-x-x


	2. On Her Own

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. It can be very lonely on your own for the first time. And Kate has a very responsible job. She would never want to let her Aunt Janice down. After all, she is a newbie in a ruthless town. And she has some serious family enemies to deal with. Let's see how far she falls – and how far Chuck, Sarah – and Casey will go to get her back._

_The poll on my profile page is basically a three way tie. So I think I'm going to combine the story of Kate with Chuck and Sarah's last mission. Fair warning – This might get fairly dark. I've always held back writing Sarah's dark side. Not so sure I feel the same reluctance with Kate. I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**On Her Own**

x-x-x-x-x

It had been quite the two weeks. Kate had never been so tired in her whole life. Senator Casey – no, make that Senator-elect Casey – she hadn't even been sworn in yet – was the hottest item inside the beltway. And that made her new Chief of Staff the second hottest.

There just weren't enough hours in the day to meet with all of the contributors, lobbyists, and party officials that wanted a piece of the new Senator's time. And when they couldn't get that – they settled for her Chief of Staff. That meant that every hour of her day was booked for as far out as she could imagine. She hadn't even had the time to unpack. Most of her clothes were still in her suitcases.

At first it was kind of fun – exciting really. Riding in limos and eating at the finest restaurants was a dramatically different life style for Kate. At home it had been more hamburgers and sitting around the family room with her brothers and Paul playing video games in sweats – when her mom wasn't challenging her to some hellish workout routine downstairs, that is. Now it was champagne and lobster – in evening dresses.

But after a while, it got old. There wasn't any training for this job. She was literally making it up as she went. But Kate quickly learned that all those people wanted something from her. The party officials wanted to make sure that Janice was still going to tote the party line. After all, she was their biggest rock star. The lobbyists wanted the Senator's support for whatever crazy constituency they were representing. And the contributors wanted to make sure that their money had bought them the proper level of influence. And one thing was for sure – none of them were bashful about asking.

There was another thing for sure – her Aunt Elise was right. They weren't shy about making sure that Kate knew that they would be interested in some extra-curricular activities. Kate was pretty used to being hit on. After all, she had grown up watching men constantly hit on her mom and her aunts. And Sarah had made doubly sure that she learned how to protect herself from it – both mentally and physically. She was actually usually pretty good at deflecting their double entendres and smarmy innuendo – and still keep the relaxed smile on her face. But that was nothing. These guys… They were simply relentless. Kate had pried more hands off her ass in the past two weeks than she could count. It seemed to be the big contributors that were the worst. Maybe they thought their money bought more than influence.

The worst part was that she didn't have any time to talk to the folks back home. She made it a point to call Paul every night - but even he was depressing. It broke Kate's heart to hear how sad and lonely he sounded. Even though she was trying hard to not rub his face in it - he was clearly picking up on what she was going through. Kate had to blink back the tears as she ended their last call. It was so hard to listen to Paul hurting. She had only talked to her mom twice since she left – and Kate felt horrible about that. She knew how much her mom was struggling. So Kate was doubly guilty when she made this particular call. But she desperately needed to talk to the one person she knew who would understand…

x-x-x-x-x

"Hi, Aunt Elise," Kate said as soon as Elise answered the phone. "I'm sorry for bothering you. Are you busy?"

Elise must have picked up on Kate's tone right away – because she was instantly reassuring. "Katie," she said. "You are never to worry about that. Do you understand? I'll never be too busy to talk to you. Remember – any time of the day or night. I meant it. Are you finding your way around Washington?"

"Not really," Kate said. "I just get in the limo and get out when it stops. I have been to the restaurant that you told me about – a few times actually. It seems to be a favorite of the lobbyists. You were right – the veal is great."

"Katie," Elise said. "You sound tired. How are you doing?"

"I am tired, Aunt Elise," Kate sighed. "I have been in meetings non-stop since I got here."

"Have you talked to Janice?" Elise said. "Maybe you could use a night off."

"I've barely seen Aunt Janice," Kate said. "She has been in her own meetings. Politicians don't get days off. It comes with the territory. Hopefully, it will slow down soon. As soon as everybody has had their piece of us…"

"Talk to me sweetie," Elise said. "You didn't call to tell me that you're tired. What's wrong?"

Kate paused for a long moment – so long that Elise was starting to wonder if the call had dropped. "You were right," she finally said softly.

Elise instantly knew what Kate was referring too. "I'm sorry sweetie," she said. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad," Kate replied. "I don't know what to do. These are powerful, influential men. I don't want to make trouble for Aunt Janice. But I also don't want them pawing me and thinking I am ready to get naked with them. I need help, Aunt Elise. Mom would just tell me to break their fingers. Aunt Janice would just shoot them. How do I handle them? You're the most beautiful woman I know. How did you handle them?"

Elise smiled at Kate's comment. "Thanks for the compliment, sweetie," she said. "But you're the most beautiful woman that I know. I'm at a little bit of a disadvantage here – because I mostly just eventually gave in. But that was my choice. I assume that you don't want to do that."

"No," Kate said. "I definitely don't want to cheat on Paul."

"Then you have to make it a game," Elise said. "I'm going to tell you a little secret. The whole point of Seduction training is to get men to do what you want – without having to actually sleep with them."

"How do I do that?" Kate asked.

Elise grinned into the phone. "You already know how to do that," she said. "Let me give you an example. You know that my Robbie has a huge crush on you. You've always been great at not crushing him – but you really never have any intention of any romance with him, right?"

Now Kate grinned into the phone. "Don't worry, mom," she said with a laugh. "I'm not going to romance your twelve-year-old son. But it's different with Robbie. I actually care for him."

"Sorry, Katie," Elise said with her own laugh. "I didn't mean to infer anything. I guess that was a bit of my own mom instinct kicking in. But it's pretty much the same thing. If you will treat those men just like any twelve-year-old who has a crush on you – you'll do fine."

"But twelve-year-olds don't put their hands on your ass," Kate sighed.

"And you never have to take that," Elise said quickly. "Never. That's across the line. They are just testing you to see how far you'll let them go. It's simply unacceptable. A little not so gentle twist of their finger when you're prying their hand off usually gets the message across. The other thing that twelve-year-olds don't do is try to get you drunk. It's not a city that's known for its morals, sweetie. You're going to have to either develop a tolerance for alcohol or be very careful how much you drink. Make it a game playing these guys, Kate. Have fun with it. Trust me - they have it coming. Otherwise, I'm afraid that you can look forward to being miserable most of the time – because they are not going to stop trying."

Kate took a deep breath. "Thanks, Aunt Elise," she said gratefully. "That really helps. I love you."

Elise's smile came through in her voice. "I happy that you called, Katie," she said. "I miss you. Your mom's been a total wreck. Don't forget – any time of the day or night – no matter how silly you think that it is. Now, do you think that maybe you could do a couple of favors for me?"

"Anything," Kate said quickly. "You know I would do anything for you."

"First," Elise said. "Let's drop the Aunt part off my name. You're a grown woman, Katie. I'm just Elise – your good friend who loves you very, very much. Aunt Elise makes me feel old."

"Okay," Kate said. "I can do that. What else?"

"I know that you're ridiculously busy," Elise said. "But Robbie would love to talk to you sometime. He's been moping around every since you left. Maybe when things settle down, you could call him for a few minutes? It would mean the world to him."

"Is he still up?" Kate asked.

"He's up," Elise said with a laugh. "It's only eight-thirty here. But I didn't mean tonight. You're tired. It's almost midnight there. Take a hot shower and scrub the fingerprints off your butt. Go to bed. Get some rest."

"Please, Aunt – umm – I mean, Elise," Kate said. "I really want to talk to Robbie. It would do me a lot of good to talk to him. It would help me to sleep. I miss him too."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were in their bedroom – not to sleep. Nine o'clock was far too early for that. And not for any romantic reason – not yet anyway. It's just that it was the one room of the house where they could have some privacy. Bryce and his friends dominated the family room playing video games. And Sarah knew that Chuck couldn't be in that environment for very long without joining in – then he would call Morgan - and then it would turn into an all night thing. So, she did what she had to do – she dragged him into the bedroom.

Bryce's friends got that knowing look. Sarah had known long ago that she clearly was the object of more than one of their secret desires. After all, she was trained to read the signs. And, truth be told, they were somewhat less than subtle. It was simultaneously cute – and more than a little creepy. After all, who had a more vivid imagination than a sixteen-year-old boy? Thankfully, Chuck seemed clueless. And that was a good thing. Oh, there was no way he would be jealous – it's just that he would tease her unmercifully about it. But really, at the end of the day, who cared what they were thinking was going on in that bedroom? Let them have their daydream.

Chuck, for his part, didn't resist. He knew Sarah was struggling. Who was he kidding? He missed Kate like crazy too. But Sarah… wow. Something about not growing up with a family made her cling to the family that she had now. So he silently lay there on top of his bed while she was next to him with her head on his chest. He knew that he had something painful to tell her. He just wasn't sure how to bring it up.

Finally Sarah pressed the issue. She turned to him. "Okay, sweetie," she said. "We've been laying here in the dark for forty-five minutes. When are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Chuck smiled. He knew better than to try and hide anything from Sarah. "When you were in Vegas," he said, "and told Kate our story – how much did you tell her about our last mission?"

"Nothing," Sarah said. "I just told her that we went on a mission ten years ago – and that it was so sensitive that I couldn't talk about it. She didn't ask any questions. I didn't want her going to Washington with that hanging over her head. She's almost assuredly going to have to work with him someday – especially if Janice is on the Senate Intelligence Committee. I don't think that she could do it when she knows how much you hate him. And, besides, I was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?" Chuck asked. "What do you have to be embarrassed about? I thought you said…"

"Chuck," Sarah said softly. "Please, I really don't want to fight about this again. It was ten years ago. But I was embarrassed for you. I didn't want to tell Kate how jealous you acted. I had just got done telling her how much we trusted each other. I didn't want to tell the story about you almost killing someone because you thought he was trying to get me to sleep with him."

"I didn't think he was trying to get you to sleep with him," Chuck said angrily. "He told me to my face. And then he used his connections to manipulate the mission so that you ended up in bed together. Do you know how it feels to listen to you pretending that it's your wedding night with another guy?"

Sarah sighed. "And I've told you a million times that nothing actually happened," she said. "We both had all of our clothes on the entire time. The room was bugged. We had to sell it. What would you have wanted me to do?"

"See," Chuck said. "This is what pisses me off. You're making it out like I don't trust you - and that was never it. This guy was gloating in my face - telling me what he was going to order you to do. Do you really expect me to just take that?"

"No, sweetie," Sarah said. "I'm not saying that. But Chuck – the intersect almost killed him. He was in the hospital for a week. And now he's director. That makes it hard for us to be agents. Can we please not fight about this? Please? You know that I can't stand the guy. I never could. Why did you even bring it up?"

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I don't want to fight with you either. I promise that I don't. You didn't do anything wrong. I've never thought that you did. It's just that he called me today. He wants to talk to us about a mission."

Sarah sat up on the bed in alarm. "Mission," she said. "Why would he call you? What kind of mission. Do you think this has anything to do with Katie?"

"Well," Chuck said with the beginnings of a smile. "I'm guessing that he knows that if he called you, I would finish what I started ten years ago. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with Kate – but the coincidence is striking."

Sarah felt a rush of relief when she saw Chuck's smile. That mission had been the source of more than one fight. Sometimes, she had to admit that she enjoyed it – a little. But the last thing that she wanted tonight was to fight with him. She needed him. So she reached down to kiss him.

Chuck could feel Sarah's hand rubbing soft circles on his stomach. That was her tell that she was ready to get naked. And that was fine with Chuck. After all it been a long two weeks since Kate had left. "Admit it," he said between kisses. "Thinking about that fight turned you on."

"I will not admit it," Sarah said as her hand drifted lower. "I was turned on before we even started talking about that." It was dark in the room. But Sarah could still see the twinkle in his eyes. He was clearly struggling to keep a straight face.

"Well," Chuck whispered as he began to snake his hand up her shirt – his own tell that it was time to get naked. "That just leaves thinking about Bryce's friends."

"Damn," Sarah sighed. "I was hoping that you wouldn't notice that. You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Don't worry," Chuck said with a laugh. "I have a proposition for you. Convince me that you're thinking only about me tonight – and I'll never mention Bryce's friends – or what they're at home doing when they're thinking about you – ever again. I think that's more than fair, don't you?"

Sarah grinned at him. "You're evil," she said. "You know that I'd do almost anything to avoid that. It's been quite a while since I've had to convince you. Do you want the full treatment? My phone is out in the kitchen. I'll have to go get it."

Chuck just sat up and folded his hands behind his head as he leaned against the headboard. "Absolutely," he said with his classic smile. "Full treatment."

x-x-x-x-x

"Hi, Robbie," Kate said as cheerfully as she possibly could. "How are you doing?"

"Kate," Robbie said breathlessly. "I saw you on television last night."

Kate grinned. Why would a twelve-year-old boy be watching Fox News Channel on a weeknight? He really did have a big crush. Actually, Kate was never allowed to watch Fox News when she was growing up. It was one of two channels that Dad didn't allow. MTV was the other. He called them tools of the devil. Kate was never sure how her mom felt about it – she never interfered. "That's nice," she said. "I was really nervous. Could you tell? How did I do?"

"You were great," Robbie said. "They talked about you and Aunt Janice for a long time after you were off. They said how beautiful you were – and how you were a raising star in the party." But then Robbie's voice lost its smile. "Who was the guy with you?" he asked. "He looked older. Are you dating him?"

"That was nobody," Kate said with a laugh. "He was a party official. It wasn't a date." What Kate didn't tell Robbie was the part where she peeled his hand off her butt. "How is your math class going?"

The smile was instantly back in Robbie's voice. Kate had worked with him on his math homework the last time they were together. "I got a hundred on today's quiz," he said.

"See," Kate said with pride. "I knew you could do it. Remember what I told you? Algebra is funny. You don't get it – you don't get it – you think that you're never going to get it - and then one day, it just clicks and after that it's easy."

After that – the conversation quickly deteriorated into mostly a lot of giggling – from both of them.

When Kate ended the call, she didn't even try to keep the silly grin off her face. She needed that. This was still her dream job – one that tons of people many years older and much more qualified would kill for. And her Aunt Janice could actually be president. She owed it to her to do whatever it took to make sure that happened. But it felt so good to pretend that she was sixteen again – even for a few minutes. Maybe she would actually be able to get some sleep tonight. _Thanks Robbie. I owe you one. Someday maybe I can even tell you about it_.

That's when she decided - tomorrow, no matter how badly her day went, she was going to call her brothers – and her mom and dad. She would find some way to cheer Paul up. Maybe Chuck Junior could help. After all, he had to be good for something - right? Maybe she would even tell Paul about her chat with Aunt – no, make that her friend, Elise. If they could openly talk about it – maybe it wouldn't be so hard. It could even be possible that she could talk Elise into calling Paul herself. That would definitely help. After all, Paul clearly had somewhat of his own crush on Elise.

All the guys did.

x-x-x-x-x

_Author's note: I've had quite a few people ask about The Art of Seduction. That is the story that I had always planned as the end to the Fake Relationship arc. I'm a little hesitant to write it – and here's why._

_The story that I had planned was for Beckman to have problems busting the Fulcrum Elder, Jennifer Bowles. Someone very high up is protecting her for some reason. But she has a secret weapon. Bowles has a big crush on Fulcrum agent Charles Carmichael. So Beckman orders Chuck to go undercover and exploit that crush to find out what is really going on. Bowles knows Sarah and thinks she is dead – so Beckman orders Laura Carter to go with Chuck posing as his partner / lover._

_Bottom line, is that Sarah is forced to sit in the van with Casey wondering which she is more jealous of – Bowles? Or Laura? I think that maybe the fandom is past wanting to read a story about Sarah being jealous since they are together on the show. What do you think?_

_Of course, if you haven't read Fake Relationship and The Cost of Love – two things. First, none of that would have made any sense. And second, shame on you. Why do you think that I write this stuff, lol?_

x-x-x-x-x


	3. Phase One

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. Janice's political enemies are very willing to destroy anybody that it takes to stop her from becoming president. But they also would like revenge on Team Bartowski for past grievances. Using Chuck and Sarah against Kate – and using Kate against Chuck and Sarah appeals to them._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Phase One**

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was wakened by the loud pounding at her door. Well, she was mostly wakened anyway. It was the soundest sleep that Kate could ever remember. She was so groggy that she just stumbled to the door and opened it without checking to see who it was. That alone was pretty foolish. Fortunately, it was her Uncle Casey. He was carrying a paper bag in each arm.

"Rise and shine, sunshine," Casey said with mock cheerfulness. "There'll be plenty of time to sleep once you're dead."

Kate could only groan. That's what Uncle Casey always said to wake them up. Although he always meant it as a joke, it was never funny.

"Katie," Casey scolded as he stepped into the room. "Why isn't the chain on your door? And why would you open it without asking who is there? You're a young beautiful girl living alone in a dangerous city. Do you realize how reckless that is? Do you seriously want to get attacked?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Kate said as she stretched her arms behind her head and yawned. Kate and the boys had begun to call Uncle Casey 'sir' about ten years ago - certainly not because he demanded it. Kate had even forgotten why. It must have had something to do with when Chuck Junior found out what a Colonel was and how he was to be respected. Whatever the reason, it stuck. Casey never made any move to correct them. Truth be told, he sort of enjoyed it.

"Do I have to take you downtown again?" Casey asked in a warning manner. He looked around the room at the furniture that was still sitting in the middle with plastic covering it.

When she turned sixteen, her Uncle Casey had dragged her downtown to Police Headquarters and they spent the day going over police reports of all the women who had been attacked in Los Angeles last night. Kate was stunned at how many there were. It was Uncle Casey's way of telling her to be careful – and even though she could count on one hand the times that he ever said it - how very much he loved her. "No, sir," Kate groaned. "That won't be necessary. You're absolutely right. I was just tired and wasn't thinking. But that's no excuse. It won't happen again. What time is it anyway?"

"It's six," Casey said with an evil grin as he turned to face her for the first time. "I brought you some groceries. Where do you want them?"

"Six?" Kate moaned in horror. That meant it was three in the morning according to her body. This time difference was going to be the death of her. If she didn't get used to Eastern Time soon, she was in big trouble. But if Kate was horrified at the earliness of the hour – that was quickly driven out of her head as she saw the redness in her Uncle Casey's face and realized that he was just recognizing how she was dressed – or more appropriately – how she wasn't dressed.

The silky t-shirt that had served as her night shirt for years was very comfortable – but she was no longer twelve. And it was suited far more for a girl than a woman. It now didn't come close to her navel. Not that it mattered that much - because the material was stretched so tightly and was honestly so old and threadbare, that it really didn't hide anything anyway. Kate suddenly realized in horror that she was, for all practical purposes, standing there topless in front of him. Not even Paul was never going to see her like this. Thank God that she wasn't wearing a thong. But the cotton panties were briefs – in more ways than one. If Kate was asleep before – she was definitely wide awake now. _Oh crap_. She had even just stretched her arms. That meant she had more than likely just come close to flashing him.

Casey looked like he wanted to die. He quickly turned away. "I'll make us some coffee," he mumbled as he retreated to the kitchen.

Kate could feel the redness rushing up her own neck in record time. "I'm very sorry, sir," she called into the kitchen. _Oh shit_. She knew that she was surely going to catch hell now – not from Uncle Casey – he was far too embarrassed. He was going to tell Janice and Kate was going to get yelled at for an hour how stupid it was to let a man into her apartment dressed like this. "I'll jump in the shower and get dressed. I'll just be a minute. I don't think I have any coffee." _Oh my God. If my mom hears about this… I'm dead meat._

"I brought some," Casey called without turning. "Take your time. I'll be in the kitchen."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck would usually be seething right about now. They knew damn well that scheduling a six o'clock meeting in Washington was three in the morning on the West Coast. The jerk was clearly doing this on purpose. But today, the joke was on him. Chuck and Sarah had never gone to bed. Well, that wasn't exactly true. It would be better to say that they hadn't gone to sleep. All this talk about a possible mission had Sarah making sure that the intersect was in prime functioning mode. And, so far, it had passed all of her tests – in flying colors.

There were two things that Chuck could never understand about Daniel Shaw. Well, that wasn't exactly true either. There were lots of things that he didn't understand – but they all eventually boiled down to two main things.

Why did everybody think that this guy was such a good agent? Okay, so he led the fight against The Ring. That was a good thing. They had disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared. If they had ceased to exist – or were just lying low – nobody really knew. Frankly, Chuck was skeptical that their one mission – ten years ago – had crushed them. But that wasn't really the point anyway. From any objective point of view, Shaw's record on actual missions was spotty - at best. He consistently made poor judgments and took foolish chances. He had to be rescued more than once. He even clearly manipulated mission objectives to be undercover with Sarah as newlyweds. That alone made him a crappy agent in Chuck's eyes. But everyone treated him like he was God's gift to the CIA. They made him director, for goodness sake. Even Sarah defended his performance as an agent.

That led to the second thing that Chuck couldn't understand – the one that really drove him crazy. Why did this guy have such a burning thing for Sarah? Okay, so almost all men – and now apparently most boys - had somewhat of a thing for Sarah. Chuck could forgive that. After all, Sarah was as beautiful today in his eyes as she had ever been. But Shaw was, quite frankly, ridiculous. He was overtly actively still trying to get her into a romance – right in his face. And, as much as Chuck hated to admit it – Sarah had never done anything to remotely encourage him. As a matter of fact, she clearly – openly – despised him. But he obviously had some illusion that he was going to someday get her between the sheets – even after ten years of being shot down and a week long hospital stay. He still called her fairly regularly – to brief her on the search for the remnants of The Ring. The excuse was that she was the team lead. Yeah, right. There was an uneasy feel about the situation that had always gnawed at Chuck's deductive reasoning. What was the real deal with this guy? He was clearly missing something. The facts just didn't add up here.

"What do you think that he wants?" Sarah asked as they waited in the Communications Room for the conference to begin.

It had been a while since this room had actually been used for a conference. It was a huge hit with the boys and their friends whenever a ball game was on – and especially on Super Bowl Sunday. And that was just fine with Sarah. Keep all of that sports nonsense in the basement where it belonged. The only girls that ever watched the games were Kate – and sometimes Elise. Elise joining them was also a huge hit with all the boys. She was always great at pretending not to see all of the tongues hanging out. Joe was also great at pretending. Robbie was still a little too young to notice… hopefully.

Thankfully, Chuck Junior and Bryce were sound asleep at this hour – so there would be no need to try and hide anything from them. Besides, they both knew better than to come downstairs unannounced when their parents were down there. Who knew what they might see?

"I'm pretty sure that I know what he wants," Chuck sighed sarcastically.

Sarah groaned as she moved over to sit on Chuck's lap and put her arms around his neck. "Please, sweetie," she pleaded. "I know that you can't stand this guy. He's not my favorite person either. But please don't start anything with him. He is the director of our agency. Let's just listen. We won't commit to anything. We'll be professional. Do me a favor. Promise me that you won't make me sit here and worry about what you're going to say next. For me?"

The twinkle was plain as Chuck looked back at her. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm really too tired to start anything. You've done a great job of convincing me so far. I'd say that I'm almost convinced."

That got the grin that Chuck was looking for. "I'm having a great time too," Sarah said. "It's been a long time since we've gotten that wild. Thank you."

"Thank me?" Chuck asked incredulously. "If I remember correctly - and I'm pretty sure that I do, you've definitely pulled your weight so far."

Sarah got a sly smile on her face. "I'm not talking about the sex, silly," she said. "I'm talking about us. With everything that's been going on lately – it feels great to reconnect."

"Yeah," Chuck teased. "By my count, we've reconnected three times so far. It's been a while since we reconnected in the workout room. And suddenly, I feel like I could use a good workout. Two birds – one stone - what do you say?"

Chuck couldn't see her face – but he could feel her laughing into his shoulder. Sarah couldn't help it. He could always make her laugh. "You're disgusting," she laughed in mock horror.

x-x-x-x-x

Kate set a new speed record getting in and out of the shower. She usually enjoyed taking her time in the bathroom. It was something that she fought with Chuck Junior about constantly. But her mom had taught her how to get ready quickly – when she needed to. So Kate's hair was still a little damp when she walked into the kitchen. She was wearing the relatively conservative light burgundy blouse and darker burgundy skirt and matching pumps that would serve as today's uniform.

Casey was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee, waiting for her. As soon as he saw Kate, he got up and poured her a cup of coffee. "Princess…," he started cautiously as he slid the cup to her without actually looking at her.

Kate knew that she was in big trouble. He hadn't called her princess in years. It used to be her pet name when they were fishing. Casey had always demanded that she learn how to do the icky parts of fishing for herself. He told her that she wasn't actually a princess – even though they maybe always treated her like one. On a fishing trip, she was one of the guys. So now, Kate could bait her own hook and filet a fish like a pro. She was actually better at it than the boys – a fact which came in handy whenever she needed a quick something to rub in Chuck Junior's face.

"You're not a little girl anymore," Casey continued. "I promise that I'll call from now on before I just show up at your door… but please…"

"Uncle Casey," Kate interrupted as she reached out and grabbed his arm. "Please. I know what you're trying to say. I'm very, very sorry. It was stupid. It won't ever happen again. We're both embarrassed about it." She then put her most pitiful little girl pout on her face. "Do you think that maybe we could keep this between us?" she asked hopefully. That didn't work often with Uncle Casey – but she was desperate. Maybe he would have some pity.

Casey looked at Kate for the first time – and actually smiled. "Sorry, Princess," he said. "You did the crime – now you have to do the time."

Kate knew that tone. There would be no sweet talking him out of anything. She had to blink back the tears at the nostalgia. That's exactly what he always told her when she was growing up and he was going to make her clean up her own mess. She might as well just accept it and take her ass kicking from Aunt Janice like an adult. "Yes, sir," she sighed with her own resigned smile as she cautiously sipped her coffee. "You might as well tell me why we're up at this ungodly hour."

x-x-x-x-x

"When are we going to move?" the voice on the phone asked harshly. "Did you see yesterday's straw poll? Casey would win a head-to-head match up by ten points. From an Electoral Collage perspective it's even worse - and she's not even a senator yet."

"Relax," he said sleepily. "Do you know what time it is? Everything is moving according to plan. Phase one is already underway. Our guy is working on the parents as we speak."

"Do you really think that you can break them up?" the voice asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I can promise you that our guy is going to give it his best effort. He has his own motivations. I guess it depends on how solid their marriage is. At least, we can make them so miserable that they won't be worrying much about their daughter. In a couple of days, we'll move on the boyfriend. By the end of the week, she'll be isolated. Poor thing – all on her own with no support structure. She'll be a wreck. Our gal is getting into position to pick up the pieces."

"This had better work," the voice said. "If it doesn't, we're…"

"Trust me," he interrupted. "Why wouldn't it work? I saw her on CNN a couple of days ago. She's actually quite stunning – in a completely innocent sort of way. It will be fun watching that innocence disappear. Now, how about you let me get back to sleep?"

x-x-x-x-x

"Senator-elect Casey sent me," Casey said. Kate grinned at the tone of his voice. He had taken to calling Janice that as a way of getting under her skin. It was very, very effective. "Something has come up. She needs you to cover her breakfast interview."

Kate knew that Janice was interviewing a candidate to be their new Administrative Assistant this morning. And that was good news. They sure could use one. "What came up?" she asked.

"The ambassador from Spain agreed to meet with her," Casey said. "He's going back to Spain for two weeks this afternoon. This morning is the only time that he had."

That wasn't good news – it was great news. The one major weakness that Janice had as a presidential candidate was the lack of foreign policy experience. Apparently, seducing drug lords in Bogotá didn't really count. So any meeting with an official from another country represented a photo-op that couldn't be passed up. Spain was nice – but it wasn't the real prize. After all, we had pretty good relations with Spain at the present time. France was the brass ring. Relations with France were at an all time low – and the president clearly struggled relating to the French President. As a matter of fact, their seemingly genuine dislike for each other was pretty well documented. If Aunt Janice could come to any sort of personal connection with him – it would come in very, very handy in the campaign. "Yes, sir," Kate said. "That's excellent. Tell her that I'll prepare a press release."

"You'll probably see her before I do," Casey said. "She wanted me to tell you that if you feel comfortable with the candidate, that you should hire her. Get her to start as soon as possible. She'll talk to you later this morning."

"No problem," Kate said.

"Princess," Casey said as he got up and looked around the apartment. "I know that you've been running around the city like a wild thing for the past two weeks. We really appreciate it. Janice has been too. But please take some time and unpack. I'll come over after dinner and help you arrange your furniture. Janice will be in a…"

"I know," Kate interrupted as she walked him to the door. "She'll be in a late party caucus meeting until midnight." Kate suddenly realized that this was probably a pretty lonely time for Uncle Casey too. "I'll tell you what," she said. "My dinner meeting isn't all that important. Why don't I blow him off and take my favorite uncle out to dinner?"

Casey smiled. "We've eaten out a lot lately," he said. "Why don't I come over and make you some pancakes?"

Kate just grinned. Uncle Casey's pancakes were a staple of fishing trips. And truth be told – they were simply awful. Kate actually loved pancakes – but Uncle Casey's – not so much. So why was it going to be her favorite meal of the past two weeks? Kate stepped up and threw her arms around him. She needed that so much. It was a reminder of what she had going for her. In a loveless city – Kate was truly… honestly… and completely unconditionally loved. If Casey was surprised, he quickly recovered. He even hugged back – a little. "That would be fun," she said. "Thank you. I promise that I'll ask who it is before I open the door. Please bring a notarized affidavit confirming your identity. Oh, and don't worry - I'll have lots of clothes on."

As soon as Casey left, Kate suddenly realized that she had over an hour to go before her breakfast meeting. _Maybe it would be a good time to call Mom_. But then she realized – it was only three-thirty in the morning there. That would never work. She wouldn't do that to her mom. Quickly the devilish grin appeared. Chuck Junior, on the other hand…

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck knew that Sarah was trying to prove a point. He just wasn't sure if the point was to him or to Director Shaw – or both. But whoever it was directed at, she was sitting much closer to him than she normally ever would in a meeting. She even had her arm wrapped around Chuck's back. The twinkle in her eye told Chuck that it wouldn't take too much to get her to kiss him.

Chuck could feel the bile rise up in his throat when his image came on the screen. What was it about these pretty boy types that drove him crazy? Okay, part of it was that it clearly represented the type of man that Sarah was physically attracted too. But it was more than that. There was the dripping arrogance that they carried. Even Bryce and Joe clearly knew that no woman could possibly resist them. Fortunately, he had made friends with Bryce – and Joe was now possibly his best male friend. But this Daniel Shaw had them both beat.

"Agent Bartowski, Agent Walker," Shaw said as soon as he came online. "We have somewhat of a crisis. I'm afraid that I'll need Agent Walker in Washington ASAP."

Chuck bristled. He knew damn well that Sarah hadn't gone by Agent Walker for over twenty years. He was just trying to get under his skin. Sure – he had promised Sarah not to start anything – but how much did he have to take?

Fortunately, Sarah took the bull by the horns. "First off, Director Shaw," she said briskly. "I'm sure that you're well aware that I haven't been Sarah Walker for almost twenty-two years now. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to me by that name."

Sarah paused and glared until Shaw finally nodded. That alone was a huge victory.

"Also there is the matter of whatever mission you have in mind," Sarah continued. "I'm sure you're aware of the special rules of engagement that we've negotiated. I'm also sure that you're aware of the special circumstances involved with the intersect. Chuck and I are never going to be separated on a mission – ever. I should have insisted on that last time – but I let you convince me that you had the mission's objectives at heart. That's a mistake that I never intend to make again. Bottom line – I'm not going anywhere without my husband."

"Fine," Shaw sighed. "I can use both of you. I'll expect you in my office later today."

Sarah just shook her head. "We have two sons that we have to arrange for," she said. "The very earliest that we could be in Washington would be tomorrow."

"Fine," Shaw growled. "One tomorrow. In my office."

As soon as the screen went blank, Chuck turned to Sarah. "What do you think he wants?"

"Who knows?" Sarah asked with a sigh as she pulled Chuck to his feet. "Let's not worry about that right now. If we're going to Washington, maybe we can stop by and see Katie."

"Where are we going?" Chuck asked as he allowed Sarah to lead him.

"Workout room," Sarah said with a grin. "How about that workout you wanted? You look like you're not totally convinced yet."

x-x-x-x-x


	4. Office Politics

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. The people who would seek to use and destroy Kate have made a serious miscalculation. They think that if they can take away Chuck, Sarah, and Paul that Kate will be all alone and easy prey. Fortunately, that is not close to being true. Kate is surrounded by people who love her. First, we saw Elise and Robbie. Then we saw Casey. Now, let's see who else will step up._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Office Politics**

x-x-x-x-x

The one part of her new job where Kate had no experience was managing people. Well, who was she kidding? She didn't have any experience in any part of her new job – but she was particularly green at managing people. Except for Chuck Junior and Bryce, she had never done it before. And even that was a bad example – Chuck Junior never did anything that she said anyway. So she was very happy when the breakfast interview went well. She and Angela hit it off right from the start. It felt great to be able to offer her the position. She acted very grateful.

Kate just got back to the office in time for the staff meeting. Admittedly, it wasn't much of a staff. Since Janice wasn't officially a senator yet, the office wasn't fully staffed. It was just Janice, Kate, and three people on loan from the National Party. All three were seasoned political staffers. The party was clearly trying to make sure that they were being taken care of.

Jennifer was a pleasant, if a little introverted, woman in her mid-thirties. She was always on time and worked hard. But she wasn't much of a conversationalist. Kate couldn't get much out of her – only that the picture on her desk was her husband of eight years and he worked for one of the lobbyists. Fortunately, she wasn't much of a management challenge.

Julie was the polar opposite. A live wire in her mid twenties who never stopped talking and looked like she always knew where the next party was. Aunt Janice said that Julie reminded her of herself at that age. Kate wasn't completely sure that was a compliment. Julie reminded her of the girls at school. More boy crazy than anything. She was never sure how much actual work Julie was getting done. But she made you tired just talking to her.

Then there was Alex. To Kate, Alex was the most interesting - certainly not in any romantic way. He just reminded her of a younger version of her Uncle Morgan. He was pure geek. He also clearly had something of a crush building – oh, not for Kate – thank goodness. He clearly had eyes for Senator-elect Beckman-Casey. Good luck with that.

The staff meeting didn't last very long. After all, they were just answering mail and responding to requests for appointments. All of the political strategy stuff was clearly being handled by Kate – and Janice, of course. Since they really didn't know these people very well, they made sure not to talk about any presidential aspirations in front of them. You were never quite sure who could be a mole. It was a town without morals.

As soon as the meeting was over, as usual, Janice asked Kate to step into her office. Kate had a very nice office of her own – but it was on the other side of the building. Kate was always mesmerized by the striking view of the White House from Janice's office. This, more than anything, was a clear indication that Janice was the party's new rock star. Freshman Senators usually got the bottom of the barrel office locations. The typical view was of a parking lot. Not this prime spot – complete with an awesome look at where she hoped to be living in two years.

Kate remembered the first time she was in this office. Of course, it was only two weeks ago. When Janice and Kate first saw the view, Janice laughed. She told Kate that if she looked really hard, she could look through the windows and see their opponents plotting strategy against them. Janice said that she could see them shaking. Kate wondered if they were shaking as hard as she was.

Janice was grinning broadly as she put her arm around Kate and led her into the private office. "So," she said. "Do we have a new Administrative Assistant?"

"Yes," Kate said. "She starts Monday. Her name is Angela. I think you're going to really like her. She is aggressive but not pushy. Her references were impeccable."

"Good," said Janice as she closed the door. Then she reached out her hand to Kate.

Kate immediately winced in pain as Janice twisted her finger.

The smile never left Janice's face. "Tell me, Katie," she said calmly. "There is something that I really want to know. Have you ever been raped?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior and Bryce sat at the kitchen table. As usual, they were concurrently eating breakfast and getting ready for school.

"So dad," Bryce said. "Business trip? How long are you and mom going to be gone?" Bryce knew better than to ask any specific questions about the trip. They really didn't even know what kind of business dad was in - something about investments – they had learned not to ask. He must be a big shot. He was always home and they lived a very comfortable life style."

"I'm not sure," Chuck said as he folded a pair of dress slacks into his suitcase. "At least a few days. We'll call if it's going to be longer."

Chuck Junior yawned. "Kate called me this morning," he said. "The rat waited until three thirty."

That certainly got Sarah's attention. "What did she want?" she asked.

"She said that she was going to call you tonight," Chuck Junior said. "She didn't want to wake you so early in the morning. She clearly didn't mind waking me."

"Okay," Sarah lectured as she snapped her suitcase closed. "No parties." The boys had learned a long time ago that when their mother took that tone – you stopped whatever you were doing and gave her your undivided attention. Mom had sort of mellowed lately. And they were both good kids. Actually, Chuck Junior wasn't even a kid. There really wasn't much cause for discipline. But they both knew that she could put the hammer down – anytime she wanted too. When she was pissed – you got out of her way. "Aunt Elise is going to check on you guys every once in a while. I'd better be getting good reports."

The mere mention of Aunt Elise was enough to cheer the boys up. Ellie had offered to stop by. But Sarah knew that she had a busy schedule at the hospital this week. Besides, if the boys knew that Elise might show up, they would keep the house clean. It probably assured a house full of Bryce's friends eagerly waiting for her next appearance. But, at least, they would be well behaved. And Elise seemed to get a kick out of their schoolboy affections.

"What car are you taking?" Bryce asked.

"We're being picked up," Sarah said. "The car should be here any minute." Sarah saw the light in Bryce's eyes. "Bryce…," she said warningly.

"Don't worry, mom," Bryce sighed sadly. "I won't touch your Porsche."

For the past couple of years, Sarah was beginning to seriously consider if she should even have a Porsche anymore. She hardly ever drove it. It was worthless for more than two people. And after all, she was almost fifty. With two teenage boys in the house – why put them through that kind of temptation? Bryce had only gotten his driver's license two months ago. There was no way he was driving the Porsche.

But Sarah had to admit, she still loved that car. So every time it was time for a new one, she couldn't bring herself to settle for anything but a Porsche. After all, it was what a spy should drive, right? But, the honest truth was – Sarah had also mellowed about her car. It was a machine. It could be easily replaced. Sarah even surprised Chuck Junior and let him take it on a date once for his eighteenth birthday. But it was far too powerful for an inexperienced sixteen year old boy to drive. Bryce couldn't be replaced. So, if it took instilling the fear of God to keep him safe…

"You know what happens if you do," Sarah said with as serious a look as she could manage. She saw the look of wonder in Bryce's eyes. "Of course, you'll be grounded for the rest of your natural life."

"Tossed into a dark hole for years," Chuck added as he passed by.

"Thrown naked out of a moving airplane," Sarah said as she allowed the smile to come to her face. "You know – the standard punishment."

"Then," Chuck added as he paused for emphasis. "We turn you over to Uncle Casey for the non-standard punishment."

Sarah walked over to where Bryce was sitting and rustled his hair. Of course, she knew how much he hated that – but Bryce was her baby. He would still be her baby when he was fifty and had grandkids of his own. "Sweetie," she said. "You'll get to drive the Porsche someday soon. I promise - when you're ready. But please promise me that I can trust you to not ever try on your own. It's just too dangerous."

Bryce knew – all of the kids did – that trust was Sarah's number one thing. And when you violated that trust – getting pushed naked out of a moving airplane would be the fun part. There was nothing colder than the cold shoulder from Sarah. Once you experienced it – like they all had at one time or another – you never wanted that feeling again. So when Bryce nodded, Sarah knew that he meant it.

"Thanks, sweetie," she said as she gave his hair a final shake. "Have a good day at school. We'll call you tonight."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate knew the question was rhetorical – but she also knew better than to try and argue the point. The fastest way to get the pain to stop was to let Aunt Janice make her statement. So she just quickly shook her head.

"Well I have," Janice said as she dropped Kate's hand. There could be no doubt now of how angry she was. "Have you heard the story?"

Wow. She knew that Aunt Janice would be mad at her – but she really didn't expect this. Kate really didn't know how to answer. Of course, she had heard many times the sanitized version of the story in the campaign. It was what their opponents tried to use against her and backfired so completely. Her mom had tried to tell her the real story of Bogotá in Vegas – but she broke down and couldn't finish it. That alone told Kate how horrible that it must have been. Her dad tried to finish the story as best as he could. He told her the facts as her mom had once told him. But since he wasn't there, he couldn't truly express the horror. "Some," she finally whispered. "I know that it was horrible."

"Twenty-eight hours," Janice replied through gritted teeth. "Five men took turns at me for twenty-eight hours. It's not just sex, you know. That's not even the worst part. First they hold you down and kick the shit out of you. Then when you're helpless, they violate you – over and over and over again. Then they kick the shit out of you again – just for fun. Sure, it was the incident that made me a famous war hero. But I would rather die than have it happen again. If your mom hadn't saved me, they would have kept going until I was dead. As it was, I was in the hospital for over a month. I couldn't work for over four years. If it wasn't for meeting your dad, I'd still be a basket case. I didn't truly completely get over it until I married your Uncle Casey. I still have nightmares sometimes thirty years later. Are you ready to be a basket case, Katie?"

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered as she looked at the floor. The tears were quickly filling her eyes.

"Look at me, damn it," Janice said firmly. "I asked you a serious question. Are you ready to be a basket case, Katie?"

When Kate jerked her head up, she could see the tears on Aunt Janice's face. She had never seen her anything close to this angry before. "No," she whispered.

"I know that you've been running around town non-stop for the past two weeks," Janice said. "You're trying to make me President. But do you really think that I give a damn about being president if something happens to you?"

Kate just looked at Janice numbly. She was really pissed.

"I wouldn't," Janice said softly. "Kate, I have no burning desire to be president. The only reason that I'm even considering running is because they made fun of us. They said we were too inexperienced and naive to make it at this level. That pissed me off. Now I really want to see if you and I can prove them wrong. Even I had my doubts in the beginning. But now I really think that we can pull this off. We make a hell of a team. By any sort of conventional wisdom, neither of us should be here – but look at us. It would be something that we can accomplish together. From being nearly gang raped to death - to being president. That would be an amazing journey, wouldn't it, Katie? But, trust me, it wouldn't mean a thing without you there beside me."

"Aunt Janice," Kate pleaded. "Okay – yes, it was foolish not to ask who was at the door. And I'll admit that my sleep clothes could probably use some updating. But aren't you overreacting a little? I didn't get hurt. It was just Uncle Casey. He's not going to hurt me."

"This time," Janice corrected. "You didn't get hurt this time. Let me show you something." Then she dragged Kate to the full length mirror that was hanging on the back of the door. "Look at her," Janice said as she pointed to Kate's image. "See that woman? She is absolutely gorgeous. She could be an actress or a model. They ask her to be on television multiple times every night – in a town with one of the highest crime rates in the country - a town where even the good guys have zero morals. If she opens her door to a man virtually naked enough times, what do you think is going to happen?"

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered. "I don't want you to be mad at me. I'll be more careful. But please don't be mad at me. I hate that feeling."

Kate wasn't ready for Janice's reaction. She grinned. "Katie," Janice said. "Do you really think that I'm mad at you?"

Kate just nodded.

"I'm so not mad at you," Janice said as she hugged her. "I'm scared for you. Your Uncle Casey is scared for you. Look – I know that you have parents – and we're not them. But hear this, Katie. Uncle Casey and I think of you, Chuck Junior, and Bryce as our own kids. We always have. You're the closest thing that we're ever going to have to a family. You're in both of our wills."

Kate just nodded. She always knew how Janice and Casey felt about them. All of the kids did. And they all felt exactly the same way. The fact of the matter was – during the summer months they always spent more time at their place on the lake than they did at home.

Janice smiled – a little. "The truth is," she said. "I was scared to death of you when your mom first brought you home. She had to force me to hold you for the first time. Then something amazing happened. One day you smiled at me – and I was hooked. I have been every since. I love you, Katie. If something happened to you it would kill me - and even if it didn't, your mom would make sure to come and finish the job."

"I love you too," Kate said. "I know that you know that. Just like I've always known how you feel about me. I'm really sorry that I messed up. This is all new to me. I'm trying hard to do the right thing."

Janice smiled again. "I know that you are, Katie," she said. "Trust me - I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. You're a big girl. If you want to sleep around – well, that's between you and Paul. Lord knows I did. There are some things that you just need to find out on your own. But, Katie, getting raped isn't one of them. You have to protect yourself. And that means more than just being careful about what you sleep in. I never want to have this conversation again. Are we clear?"

Kate nodded. "Very clear," she said.

"Good," Janice said in a mock serious tone. "I'd talk about some kind of punishment but you are a grown woman. Maybe you should be grounded – but Uncle Casey tells me that he's cooking you pancakes tonight. That's probably punishment enough."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief as they shared a smile. It was time to change the subject. "Julie keeps asking me to go out for a drink with her," Kate said. "Do you think I should go?"

"I don't know," Janice said cautiously. "Are you pregnant?"

"What?" Kate asked in amazement. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because," Janice said with a grin. "That's the only reason I can think of for not going out for a drink with Julie. Certainly, you're not asking for my permission, Katie. I know that I just gave you the heavy mom lecture – but come on. You're a grown woman."

Kate's face got red. "I'm not asking for your permission," she said. "I'm asking for your advice."

"Katie," Janice said soothingly. "Relax. I'm just teasing you. There is nothing wrong with going out for a drink or two. But be careful. Julie is the kind of girl who will talk you into entering a wet t-shirt contest if you let her. Please don't do that. It would be embarrassing for it to wind up in the press."

Kate noticeably grimaced. The very last thing that she would ever do would be to enter a wet t-shirt contest. She hated it when guys stared at her chest. It happened all the time and it was her biggest turn off. Not only was it demeaning, it made her very self conscious. One of the early things that had attracted her to Paul was that he had looked into her eyes when they first met. "Okay," she said. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now let's talk some strategy," Janice said. "They want me to go on Hardball tonight to talk about the meeting with the ambassador. Let's go over some talking points."

"They don't call it Hardball for nothing," Kate said as her face broke into a smile for the first time. "That is not going to be friendly territory for us. I think you should be ready for him to be confrontational. After all, that's his style. He is going to ask you why a Senator would be talking to a foreign ambassador. He is going to say that foreign policy traditionally is handled exclusively by the president. He is going to accuse you of usurping the president's authority. So we have to be ready for that."

"You're right," Janice said. "That's a good point. I'm not sure how openly confrontational he'll be – at least, not at first. They are afraid of appearing to insult me."

"Maybe," Kate said. "But I wouldn't count on it. It's who these guys are. And I hope he does. The more he looks like a jerk, the better you look by comparison. By the way, speaking of you looking good, our guy Alex has something of a crush on a certain Senator-elect."

"No kidding," Janice said sarcastically. "He's kind of cute. He reminds me a little of your Uncle Morgan. Do you think I should drag him back here and rock his world? It might make him work harder."

"You're kidding," Kate gasped. "Please don't do that."

"Katie," Janice said with a laugh. "I'm kidding. Did I ever tell you the story of when I was showing your Aunt Ellie how to seduce men?"

"My mom did," Kate said with a grin. "She told me in Vegas. If I remember, it didn't work out too well for you. Something tells me that you might not want to tell that particular story on Hardball."

"I'm not so sure," Janice said with a laugh. "That would certainly fluster him, don't you think?"

Kate and Janice shared a genuine laugh that lasted for a long while. It was clearly something that they both needed. After all, they had just finished an exhausting two weeks – and the next two years were going to be every bit as demanding. Suddenly Kate got serious. "Aunt Janice," she said as she grabbed her arm. "I promise you one thing. We're going to prove them wrong. You're going to finish that journey. You're going to be president. And if you'll let me, I'm going to be standing next to you when it happens."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck sat in the limo trying to suppress the grin. Sarah was clearly trying to hide how excited she was – and failing miserably. He thought about teasing her about it. After all, he had a couple of hanging curve balls to hit out of the park.

He could tease her about being excited about seeing Director Shaw again. But he knew where that would lead. After all, he was pretty tired from last night. Even with the intersect, he really wasn't up for any more 'convincing' in the back of that limo.

Of course, there was always family tradition to rib her about. After all, they were flying east – all the way across the country. But he also rejected that. After all, some things were best left as a surprise.

Besides, Chuck had to admit. He was just as excited as Sarah was. Well, not maybe just as – but he was pretty excited.

They were going to see Kate.

x-x-x-x-x


	5. The Beard

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. Washington is a dangerous place to make friends. Everybody has their own agenda. And playing fair isn't anywhere on the list of requirements. In fact, most people would consider it a weakness – and try and take advantage of it._

_Kate being so beautiful is a double-edged sword. It has quickly made her famous in a town full of famous people. But it also has put a bull's-eye on her back – or more appropriately, on her chest. Lot's of folks are tempted to take their shot at that target. And it also scares away what few good guys there are._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Beard**

x-x-x-x-x

Kate sat at the table slowly sipping her drink. She wasn't even sure what the drink was called that Julie insisted that she had to try – something about a slow screw - and a beach. Which was where Kate was currently wishing she was. But she wasn't. She was here. It was one of those noisy clubs that catered to the young, mostly single, staff that manned all of the political offices downtown.

At least Kate found out something that had been bugging her. Now, it was very clear why Julie had been pestering her to join her every single night since they had met. Kate was the city's newest celebrity. And Julie was having a blast soaking up the overflow attention – and the free drinks that came along for the ride – for all it was worth.

Kate was hesitant about going at all. After all, this was not her type of scene. She definitely had never been one for parties at school. Paul usually wanted to go. They never really fought about it and she let him drag her to a few – but she never once had a good time at one. She even tried a few times. After all, she hated to see the disappointment in Paul's eyes. But after a while he, more or less, gave up. The game that everyone was playing was just all too silly. The flirting and pretending to be interested in what they were saying – it was just a bit much. All for the hope of a cheap, meaningless hookup. And as tired as she had been lately, getting an early night's sleep sounded pretty good. But she didn't want to appear to be a snob – and Julie was so damn insistent. So she finally agreed to make it an office thing.

Kate knew that Jennifer would never come. And she was right. Her face got red the second that Kate even mentioned it. Kate had some hope for Alex. She even primed the pump a little by hinting that Janice might make an appearance. But there was no way – and Alex knew it. For one thing, it wasn't a place for Senators. Kate was probably the only Chief of Staff that was there. For another, Janice was in a caucus meeting until midnight. And there was one thing for sure. Kate was going to be home long before midnight.

Kate finally had to resort to actually asking Alex as a favor. The last thing that Kate wanted was to be alone with Julie. But she also didn't want to send the wrong signal to Alex. Oh, he seemed like a nice enough guy. More than that, after he was comfortable, he actually could make you laugh. But Kate was also his manager. The very, very last thing that Kate wanted was for him to develop a crush on her. that's all that Paul needed to hear about. Fortunately, that showed absolutely no signs of happening. Alex was sitting at the table next to her looking just as uncomfortable as she did. This was clearly not his scene either.

On top of all that, Kate was having a lousy night in general. It started off well. Uncle Casey's pancakes were as awful as ever. But Uncle Casey was as lovable as ever – so all in all, it was a pretty fair exchange. He clearly felt guilty about ratting her out to Janice – so he was on his most charming behavior. And Uncle Casey could be very charming – when he wanted to be. He did a great job of helping her arrange her furniture. He even made it fun. And she could tell that Uncle Casey was having a good time too. He laughed out loud when she wouldn't open the door until he slid his Drivers' License under it. That fact alone made it a great evening.

But then there was the fight. It came out of nowhere. She hardly ever fought with Paul. But tonight's was a barn burner. What was up with him tonight anyway? Okay, so he was lonely. So was she. And, yes – it was probably hard to see all of the press reports that called her – what was that again? Oh, yeah – the newest Beltway Babe. Even Uncle Casey got a kick out of that one.

For some reason, Paul didn't see the humor in that. Okay – fair enough. But to actually accuse her of flirting… if he only knew how hard she was working to discourage them. _Really, Paul – flirting? Do you really think that I'm flirting?_ To say that Kate was disappointed in him was a huge understatement. Actually, it was the most disappointed that she had ever been with Paul. Hopefully he was just having a bad night. After all, everybody had a bad night once in a while, right?

Then there was Julie – the classic live wire player. She kept dragging guys over to meet her. And while Kate didn't want to appear rude, she also didn't want to be Julie's wingman. She had turned down so many requests to dance that it was starting to become noticeable.

Kate was starting to get that queasy feeling in her stomach. She was well on her way to getting a reputation as a snob. Avoiding that was the only reason that she came tonight in the first place. But she knew that if she danced with anyone, they would be all over her for the rest of the night – especially with Julie encouraging them. And the last thing that she wanted was to encourage anybody. Besides – not one man that asked her to dance had his eyes aimed at hers. Did they really think that she couldn't tell where they were looking – and why? The kicker was that she wanted to be able to be truthful to Paul when she said that she hadn't danced with anybody. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask if anybody had sent over a drink – but he probably would. She was half tempted to drown her sorrows in the half dozen drinks that were now sitting in a line in front of her, compliments of the club's many potential male suitors. But that would just cause more problems than it solved.

Finally, Alex leaned over to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

It was the very, very last thing that she expected him to say. So her response was somewhat less than smooth. "Huh?" was all that came out.

Alex had an odd half smile on his face. "Look," he said. "I can see that you're uncomfortable. I think that I understand why. We both know that I'm no threat to you – or to your boyfriend. Dance with me once and they'll leave you alone. It's what's called a beard."

Kate could only stare in amazement. But she had to admit - the logic seemed solid. Even Paul would probably be on board with that. So she just took a deep breath and extended her hand. "Okay, Alex," she said. "I would love to. I actually love to dance." His hand was actually trembling a little – and more than a little sweaty. He was clearly nervous – but he did reach out and grab hers.

"Umm, yeah," Alex said as they walked to the floor. "About that - I hope you're not expecting much in the way of quality. I may be a great beard – but I'm not much of a dancer."

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He really hated being here – especially alone. Every since Evelyn died… or more accurately was murdered… there was really no point. That's why he poured himself so much into his work. And being CIA Director was perfect. It was pretty much a twenty-four hour a day job anyway.

So when the light behind him came on, Shaw instinctively reached for his gun. Then he remembered. He was no longer an agent. Directors didn't carry weapons. But when he saw the face, he relaxed – for an instant. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "We were never supposed to meet."

"Tell me, Daniel," he said, ignoring his question. "Which side are you on, anyway?"

Shaw's eyes narrowed as he thought of a response. "I'm not sure what you mean," he finally said.

"I'll explain it to you," he growled. "I'll be sure to use small words so that you can understand. Your job is to keep the parents away from her. We're trying to isolate her. Not give them group hug opportunities. Instead, you bring them to Washington."

"I need Walker here," Shaw replied. "It's where this needs to happen. No place else will work."

"Okay," he sighed. "So what is the real deal with you and Walker? I understand that she killed your wife. Okay – you want revenge. We're sympathetic – to a point. But why not just kill her? Surely, you've had multiple chances to do that. Thirty years is a long time to carry such a grudge."

"Not good enough," Shaw responded. "She needs to suffer. Bartowski needs to suffer. When I'm done with them, they won't be able to look at each other. Then I'll kill them. Not before. I'll wait three hundred years if I have too."

He walked to the door. "Listen up moron," he said. "We've done our part. We made you Director. We ask almost nothing from you. When we do – we expect results. I don't know – or care – about your sick little fantasies. Just keep them away from the girl. If not, then we have a big problem – and so do you. Am I clear?"

Shaw knew that he wasn't expecting a response – so he didn't offer one until the door had closed and he was gone.

"Very clear."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was absolutely right. He wasn't really a good dancer – much too stiff. As a matter of fact, it was a lot like dancing with dad. But he wasn't embarrassing or anything. And it was sweet that he was making the effort. So Kate finally decided to relax and go with it. After all, it was true – she really did love to dance. It was something that Mom had instilled a long time ago. Mom was a completely different person on the dance floor.

"You're not having a good time," Alex said as they danced. It was much more statement than question. "Why not?"

Kate just starred at him. Her horn dog alarms were going off. From another man, that would have been a line. And something about what he said earlier was bothering her. "How did you know that I have a boyfriend?" she asked. "I've never talked about him." Has Alex been checking up on her? Why would he do that?

But Alex quickly popped that concern like a balloon. "Come on, Kate," Alex said with his own look. "The newest Beltway Babe? It's pretty clear. You either have a boyfriend – or you're gay. Either way, I'm the perfect beard. Now, why aren't you having a good time?"

Suddenly Kate felt defensive. She was already starting to hate that demeaning nickname. And Alex was the last person that she wanted calling her that. "I don't know," she said hesitantly. "Why aren't you?"

"It's not my scene," Alex replied quickly. "Trust me - getting snubbed by political staffers isn't my idea of a good time. I get that enough at work. I only came tonight because you sounded desperate. I'm sorry if I'm getting too personal. I'm just making conversation."

Kate sighed. Alex wasn't hitting on her. He was just a nice guy – the only one that she had met so far. Before, she thought that he reminded her of Uncle Morgan. Now he seemed more like Dad. It was time to ease up on the poor guy. "I'm sorry too," she said. "It's not my scene either. You're right – I do have a boyfriend. And we just had a big fight."

"He's jealous," Alex said. "Isn't he?"

"How did you know?" Kate asked.

"Trust me," Alex said with a grin. 'If I had a girlfriend who looked like you – I'd be jealous every time you were out of my sight."

Okay, that sounded so very much like a pickup line. Kate quickly looked into Alex's eyes for any sign that he was feeding her a line… and immediately felt guilty when she didn't see one. _Come on, Kate – ease up on the guy_. _He just said something very sweet to you_. He actually looked nervous. Not the macho arrogance of someone playing a line. And she had to admit – she hadn't caught him checking out her chest once. That made him pretty much unique among the male patrons of this club tonight. That also raised his stock with her several points. Another thing that she had to admit – Alex was very cute when he was nervous. And he was even cuter when he was smiling. He didn't have any reason to have low self esteem. Alex was as good looking as any man in the place. He just needed some confidence. Maybe someday, she could be his wingman. That might be fun. "Thanks," she said. "That was sweet. But he doesn't have any reason to be jealous."

Alex looked at her like she had just sprouted a third eye. "Of course he does," he responded. "I mean please don't take this the wrong way. But how many times have guys asked you to dance tonight? How many drinks have you paid for? Just what do you think all those guys have in mind? Maybe nailing the newest Beltway Babe? Kate, I've seen the eyes of the lobbyists picking you up for their meetings. I've noticed the way they check you out when they think you're not looking. It's pretty clear what they are thinking. Don't you think that your boyfriend is smart enough to know all that? I've never met him… but I think that I know how he feels. Maybe you should cut him a little slack."

"Okay," Kate laughed. "Please stop calling me that. It makes me feel like I'm posing for a calendar or something."

"I'm sorry," Alex quickly said. "I mean no offense. For what it's worth, I think that the nickname is unfair. You clearly aren't a babe. You deserve every bit of attention that you've gotten – and not because you're gorgeous. Your senate campaign will be in textbooks soon. It was that brilliant. You have Senator Casey on the fast path to becoming President. I'm learning a lot from you."

Alex quickly realized in horror what he had just said. He quickly tried to retreat – and just stepped further in it. "Umm," he stammered. "I didn't mean that you're not a babe. Umm… I mean…"

Kate was now having fun for the first time since she got here. He was so cute stammering with the blush clearly rising up his neck. That was the genuinely nicest thing that anybody had said to her in – she couldn't remember. So she decided to let him off the hook. "Alex," she said with a soft smile. "It's okay. I know what you meant. Thank you for cheering me up. I enjoy working with you too. And thank you for being my beard tonight. You've been a life saver."

Alex was grateful to change the subject. "You're welcome," he said. "On both counts. As far as the beard goes, you haven't heard my price yet."

"Price?" Kate asked cautiously. She didn't like the sound of that. Was he running a line after all?

"I'm hoping that you could put in a good word for me with Senator Casey," Alex said with a grin.

Kate inwardly groaned. She honestly wasn't sure how she felt. After all, this was a good thing, right? If Alex had a crush on Aunt Janice, that meant she was safe. So why was she annoyed? It couldn't be that she was jealous – that would be stupid. "Alex," she said cautiously. "I have to tell you. Senator Casey is very happily married."

Alex just looked confused. "I know," he said. "I've met the Colonel. He's impressive -nice enough, I guess - a little scary. What's that got to do with anything?"

"That wasn't just a show for the campaign," Kate said. "They are truly dedicated to each other. It's sweet. I don't think that she is a good candidate for an office romance."

"Romance?" Alex asked in horror. "Who said anything about romance? I really admire her. I want to join her permanent staff. I was hoping…"

Alex stopped talking in mid-sentence. As soon as the music stopped, he turned to leave the dance floor. "It's getting late," he said without looking at her. "I'd better get home. If you want to leave, now would be a good time. Otherwise they are going to be all over you again."

Kate nodded. She wasn't sure what was suddenly wrong with Alex – but she was definitely ready to leave. And there was some wisdom in walking out with him. It would send the right signal to the crowd. She was definitely not a snob. Was he upset that Janice wasn't going to be interested? He had to know that. She was trying to do him a favor. Should she have sat there and let him make a fool of himself with her? "Will you wait for a second while I say goodnight to Julie?" she asked.

Again, Alex wouldn't look at her. He just nodded.

It was cold outside. The weather had been unusually warm for mid November. But a cold front had just moved through and Kate was freezing. Having grown up in Southern California, cold was not something she was remotely used too. So she was very grateful to get into the car. Alex insisted on dropping her off at home. After all, it was well after dark. They sat for the short ride to her place without a word. When the cab pulled up to her apartment building, Alex instructed the driver to wait while he walked her to her door.

Kate really didn't want the night to end like this. Alex had stepped up for her tonight. He had been perfect. He was sweet and funny and cute… and best of all, she could tell Paul all about it. It was the best time that she had since she left home. Could she invite him in to talk about it without him, or Paul, getting the wrong idea? Probably not. So as she put her key in the lock, she turned to him. "Alex," she said softly. "What's wrong? Have I offended you?"

At first, Alex didn't respond. But finally he looked at her for the first time since the dance floor. "You really do think that I'm that pathetic, don't you?" he asked so softly that Kate wasn't sure that she heard him correctly. "I guess that you would. I hoped that you were diff… Look, I'll see you tomorrow."

By the time that it registered what Alex had said – and what he meant by it, he was already in the cab and it was pulling away. So Kate really had no choice but to just go inside. _Could this night possibly get any worse?_

Kate couldn't get Alex's last image out of her mind. By the time she reached her apartment, she was having a hard time blinking the tears out of her eyes. The look in Alex's eyes was heart breaking. She couldn't feel any worse if she tried. Here was this nice, sweet guy who was trying to be her friend – and she had crushed him – almost assuredly unfairly. She had taken his insecurity – and smashed him in the face with it. And all because she spent the whole damn night worrying about her stupid image. Hopefully, she would get the chance to talk to him about it tomorrow.

But why was the bathroom door closed? And why was the light shining through underneath it? She was sure that wasn't how she left things. Maybe Uncle Casey had been back. She fished her phone out of her purse to call him. After all, with all of the lectures today, it made some sense to be careful. That's when she saw the man step out of the shadows. At first, Kate was too startled and shocked to react. Finally she was able to gasp out –

"Dad?"

x-x-x-x-x

He sighed into the darkness as he dialed the phone. His job was to get results - period. Nothing else mattered. And at this level, no excuses would be accepted. His employers were beyond brutal. When you didn't get results – they didn't yell at you. They didn't fire you. They ended you. To survive, you needed to leave nothing to chance. You needed a fall back plan – and a backup to that fall back plan. Failure wasn't an option.

But even with all that, he really didn't like messing with kids. He wasn't even sure why. It certainly wasn't morals. You checked them at the city limits. But for one thing it was too unpredictable. It just seemed… messy. They were already moving on the boyfriend. That was actually going very well. But would it be enough? Now, thanks to that moron Shaw, he really didn't have any choice. He needed another contingency. Hopefully, everyone involved would see things his way and there would be a happy ending. But then, that was their choice. It always was.

"Yes," he said into the phone as soon as it was answered. "It's a go. His name is West – Robbie West. His parents are Joe and Elise West."

"Yes, they are both ex-CIA."

"Anderson Middle School in Burbank."

"Not yet. I'll let you know."

x-x-x-x-x


	6. Memories

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. The main goal is to keep Janice from becoming President. But there are also other agendas at play. Chuck and Sarah have their own enemies._

_Kate is lucky. She has lots of people who love her. Right now, she could use a friend - someone who likes her - someone that she can share a laugh with – and maybe more._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Memories**

x-x-x-x-x

Doctor Phil Jones sat uneasily in Director Shaw's kitchen. The Intersect project had been officially cancelled some fifteen years ago. That meant that there was no longer any funding for any further research. There hadn't been for many years now. And that meant that the bean counters had to get creative. Whatever research was being conducted had to be hidden under other projects – or lumped under 'General Research' – and the funding for that was very limited.

Jones had to admit to himself, the subject matter was fascinating. He was now the only person left from the original Intersect Team. But there was no lack of enthusiasm from the current crop of scientists. They all wanted to be involved in the research – even knowing that it was almost certainly never going anywhere. And to their credit, they had managed to slowly move the ball forward. That was reasonably impressive given the scare resources they were able to commit.

The biggest issue that was holding them back was the lack of any field experience. Without testing, this was all pretty much just theory. Bartowski was the only candidate for any testing – and he had been labeled as strictly hands off for years now. At first, they tried to, at least, keep him updated. But after a few years, they even gave up on that. After all, he never went on missions. So it was hard to get feedback on how effective the intersect was. It simply wasn't being used – except for perhaps the Bartowski's sex life – if the rumors were to be believed.

It wasn't a project – not even an unofficial one. But everybody knew the potential. Normally, it would be very unusual to meet at night in the Director's home. But given the unofficial status – and the sensitivity of the topic, it made some sense to keep it out of the office.

"Let me understand," Shaw said as he held the two compact discs that Jones had just handed him. One of these is a regular intersect information update. One is our special mix. How confident are we that this will work?"

"We're very confident, sir," Jones said. "Naturally, we haven't been able to actually test this on a live subject – but all of our computer modeling is conclusive. We've prepared the exact scenario that you specified."

Shaw couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice as he leaned forward. "In every detail?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Jones replied. "Once Bartowski receives this special mix, he will have memories that are every bit as real as anything that has ever happened to him. He won't be able to distinguish our false memories with any of his real experiences. He will remember his wife's affair with you. He will remember catching you and she in the act of making love like it was yesterday. He will clearly remember overhearing her pleading with you to run away with her. He will know for certain that the only reason that his wife stayed with him is because you rejected her – and that she would leave with you at any moment you asked. He will also remember his rebound affair with Agent Walters – and her pleading with him to run away together."

"Excellent," Shaw said with a smile. "This should provide a very realistic test."

"Excuse me, sir," Jones said. "But there is something that has been bothering me and my team. What practical use could this have? The scenario that you requested seems potentially very destructive."

"It was Sarah Bartowski's idea," Shaw said. "She is looking for ways to contribute. After all, they have been on the CIA payroll for the last twenty years while doing practically nothing. If this was effective, it could possibly become an offensive weapon. But there is no way a project like this could get funded without a dramatic demonstration. She figures, and I agree, that her relationship with Mr. Bartowski is the closest emotional bond one can imagine. If this process could cause their marriage to have problems, it could do anything. It's the most extreme test imaginable. And the legitimate update would reverse the effects anyway, right? It's practically risk free."

"Yes, sir," Jones said. "The regular update would take away all of the false memories. He would remember everything that happened while he was under the influence – he would realize that the memories were false."

"See," Shaw said. "This is risk free."

"Yes, sir," Jones finally said – reluctantly. "Nothing is completely risk free. I can't express how dangerous these discs are. If they fell into the wrong hands…"

"Don't worry," Shaw said. "I'll place them in my safe right away. Be sure to thank your team for their hard work. It may be about to pay off. I'll let you know how the testing went."

That was clearly telling Jones that the meeting was over. After he left, Shaw put the two discs in his safe. Then he grinned into the darkness.

"See, Chuck? I told you that I was going to take her away from you - just like you remembered it. Let's find out what she'll be willing to do to get her husband back. After she's broken, then we'll talk about my revenge. That's when the pain will really start."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was beyond ecstatic. "Dad," she said as she threw herself into his arms. "Why are you here? How did you get in here? Where's Mom?"

Chuck grinned as he held his daughter. "Wow, Katie," he said. "You have a lot of questions – for a Beltway Babe."

As happy and relieved as Kate was to see him, she also noticeably winced. If her dad had heard that story – then Chuck Junior certainly had. And that meant… great, it was now a lifelong nickname.

But even that distressing prospect was flushed out of her mind as soon as the bathroom door opened. And there was Mom – with the biggest grin that Kate had ever seen.

"Hello, sweetie," Sarah said as she quickly took Chuck's place. She was holding Kate so tightly that Kate was struggling to breathe - not that Kate wasn't clinging to her mom just as tightly. "How is Washington treating you?"

x-x-x-x-x

Doctor Jones sat in his car trying to decide what to do. The smart thing would be just to let this go. After all, he was plainly following orders. And the CIA Director did have a broad range of discretionary authority. But that just didn't sit well with him. He was old school. Daniel Shaw may be the new Director – but nobody really liked or trusted him. Not only that – but his story didn't make a whole lot of sense.

Jones didn't know how to go about checking out Shaw's explanation – or even if he should try. But he knew someone who, at a minimum, could apply the smell test. Naturally, she had retired a long time ago. Moved to Las Vegas. She said that the weather suited her better. Jones heard that she had some health issues. That was too bad – because he liked her. Not many people did – she was a tough cookie. But Jones always knew that she was going to do the right thing. And, after all, it was only seven there. So he pulled out his phone.

"Hello, General," he said. "This is Phil Jones."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm doing very well. I hope you're feeling better. I understand that you've been a bit under the weather."

"I'm glad to hear it, ma'am. The weather is much nicer there. Congratulations on your daughter. I understand that she now is a Senator. That's very impressive.

"Yes, ma'am, I actually have something to run by you."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was so grateful that her mom and dad were here. The best part was that she got to talk to them about Paul. After all, they had been through a very similar situation when they were young. They certainly knew all about jealousy.

"I don't know what to do," Kate sighed. "Mom, it's like he's a different person. He's acting like I'm a possession." Then the tears threatened again. "He actually accused me… he accused me of encouraging them."

"He's just lonely," Chuck said. "And now, he gets to sit alone at night – and imagine the worst. Trust me, Katie. I once had a girlfriend who looks like you. I had to watch other men hit on her. I was jealous every time that she was out of my sight."

Sarah looked at her husband with a soft smile. "But at the end of the day," she said, far more to Chuck than to Kate. "He has to trust her. He has to realize that he has nothing to be jealous about. She would never do anything to hurt him."

"Of course he does," Chuck replied, again far more to Sarah than to Kate. "Paul's smart enough to know how men act around Kate. He knows that they're constantly sending her drinks and trying to pick her up. What do you think that those guys have in mind? How about a shot at nailing the newest Beltway Babe? Maybe we should cut Paul some slack."

Kate couldn't keep the grin off of her face. This was as close to arguing as her parents ever did – at least in front of anybody. Then it struck her. What her dad just said was almost word for word what Alex had told her at the club. Alex really was just like him. And there sure as hell could be a lot worse person to be just like. She owed him a huge apology. "I was thinking," she said. "Maybe I could ask Elise to talk with him. She's been through the same thing. Do you think she would?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Why Elise?" she asked.

Kate immediately knew what Sarah was thinking. So she grabbed her arm. "Come on, Mom," she said softly. "You can't talk to Paul – not about this. It would be too tense. He would just get defensive. Paul wouldn't even be listening to you. He would just be trying to get out of the room still alive. Paul would feel different about Elise. He might even think that she was impartial."

Sarah let out a cleansing breath. "You're right, sweetie," she said. "I'm sorry that I got jealous. Elise would do anything for you. You know that. Do you want me to ask her for you?"

"That's okay," Kate said with a grin. "I'm not fifteen anymore. I can ask her. I've already sent Chuck Junior to talk to him. Who knows how that will go? It might be like trying to put out a fire with gasoline."

Chuck and Sarah sat talking with Kate until close to midnight. But finally Sarah insisted that Kate get some sleep.

Kate grinned. "You really do think that I'm still fifteen," she said.

Sarah's face got noticeably red. "Sorry, sweetie," she said. "I understand that you're a grown woman. But please don't ask me to stop being your mom. It's just, with the ridiculous schedule that you've been telling us about, you really need some rest."

Again, Kate had to blink away the tears as she stepped into the arms that Sarah was holding out as an invitation. "I never want you to stop being my mom," she whispered.

Chuck and Sarah already had a hotel room, but Kate pleaded with them to stay with her. she wanted every second with them that she could get. So they finally agreed. They were very familiar with the surroundings. After all, it was the same building where Sarah had her own apartment – some twenty years ago.

Kate insisted that her parents take the bed. She slept on the couch. It was a good thing that Uncle Casey had helped her take the plastic off of it earlier. It had been a long time since Kate had slept on the couch. She really couldn't remember the last time. But it was the best night's sleep that she had in – wow – a month.

Kate really hated to leave in the morning – but she already had an interview scheduled with one of the early morning news shows. Given the way that Aunt Janice had carved up the host of Hardball last night, this was a prime opportunity to draw attention to it. Besides, the opponents had picked up on the Retro-Queen-and-Her-Court moniker and were using it to poke fun. It was the perfect time to make them pay. She would mention it this morning and follow up with a series of press releases.

This first one would compare her Aunt Ellie's life accomplishments to the Senator from New Jersey's who had started the first attack. Let's see, a woman who put herself through medical school on her own while raising her brother and was now a world renowned, board certified neurological specialist versus a pompous spoiled rich kid who barely graduated. Where did these guys learn about political strategy – from watching old reruns of Night Court? This was going to be fun.

Sarah told Kate that she didn't know if they would be back by for a while. After all, who knew what Shaw had in mind? They might be on some sort of mission. She promised Kate that they would be by again if they could.

Chuck and Sarah were just settling in to watch Kate's interview when there was a knock at the door.

"Chuck," Casey said as he stepped into the room. "Walker…"

Sarah could only sigh – with a smile. For the first few years, she tried to correct him. But it was pointless. So, finally she gave in. Casey was the only person who was allowed to call her Walker.

"Hey, Casey," Chuck said good naturedly. "You're just in time to watch Kate's interview. Or did you just come over for more pointers on how to stay in the boat?"

Casey smiled – inwardly. He was never going to live down falling out of that boat. But at least his news would give him ample opportunity to regain the upper hand. Bartowski would be smiling out of the other side of his mouth in a second. "Actually," he said with a smirk. "My mother-in-law just called."

"Really," Sarah said. "Is she feeling better?"

"Some," Casey said. "But that's not why she called."

Something about Casey's tone got Sarah's attention. After all, they had been partners for a long time. She could read him like a book. Something was up.

But Casey just grinned.

"We have to talk."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate couldn't keep the silly grin off of her face as she rode back to the office. She had just hit a home run – and she knew it. In politics, there was almost no such thing as a perfect interview. They always got some shot in at you. But this came as close as it ever got. Even the interviewer was having a hard time keeping her composure as Kate deadpanned comparing the two resumes.

This was a theme that they would now keep alive for the rest of the campaign. Kate was already working on a stump speech that would allow Aunt Janice to gently poke fun at them. It was an excellent political opportunity. It allowed Janice to be funny and relaxed – all the while using their opponents own words to make them look petty, mean spirited, rich and privileged, and even stupid– but most of all – out of touch with how real people lived.

When Kate walked into the lobby of their office building, people actually applauded her. It was funny – and a little embarrassing. After all, there were people from both parties there. But they were all political professionals. They all could appreciate a well executed strategy.

The mood in the office was nothing short of festive. Even usually reserved Jennifer was laughing out loud. The phone was ringing off the hook all morning trying to book Janice and Kate for interviews. Janice was already on her way to a studio to do a follow-up interview. It was clearly going to be one of those days.

Kate hoped that the press would let Aunt Ellie alone. After all, she was incredibly busy. It was only seven in the morning there. The last thing that she needed was to be pestered to be interviewed. After all, this wasn't her fight. Ellie was always uncomfortable with anything partisan. And there were many issues where Ellie and Janice didn't even see eye-to-eye. But Aunt Ellie was always on board with putting a sexist pig in his place. It was one of her favorite things.

There was one thing that Kate knew that she had to accomplish this morning before she let the craziness consume her. So she walked directly over to Alex's desk and waited for his phone call to end. He was definitely very smooth on the phone. And he was also more than a little cute trying to avoid catching her eye. So before he could answer the next call, she quickly spoke. "I'd like to see you in my office," she said. "As soon as possible." She hated to pull rank on him – but they needed to talk privately. She had to make sure that he was listening. The last thing that she wanted was for him to shut down. She was going to be willing to do whatever it took to get him to forgive her – up to and including some serious groveling.

When Alex knocked on her door and stepped into her office, Kate quickly jumped up from her desk where she was trying to catch up on the tons of emails and came around to face him.

"You wanted to see me," Alex said.

Kate was having a hard time figuring out his mood. Was he angry? Hurt? Embarrassed? Maybe it was a little of all three. But he also clearly had enjoyed this morning's interview. There was a bit of sparkle in his eye. "I want to apologize for last night," she said.

"You don't have to apologize," Alex said. "I understand. It's how things are."

That had Kate scratching her head. He was already turning to leave. But Kate had decided – this wasn't going to end like this again. His lack of self-esteem was getting frustrating. So she did what she had to do. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into the middle of the room. "I don't think that you understand squat," she said – maybe not angrily – but with a definite edge.

Pure surprise caused Alex to look into her eyes – for the first time.

Kate told herself that she wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to be that girl who cried to get men to melt. So she took a deep breath. "I'm very, very sorry that I hurt your feelings last night," she said quickly. "But you're just wrong. Yes, I did think that you had a crush on Senator Casey. She thinks so too. But it's not pathetic. Lot's of men do. She always thinks that it's cute. She even encourages it – to an extent. It's a game with her. But she is never going to do anything to cheat on her husband. That's all I was trying to tell you on that dance floor. I've seen her reject men – lots of times – and it's never pretty. I just didn't want to see that happen to you. I'm very sorry if you read more into it."

"I don't have a crush on her," Alex said. His own frustration was becoming apparent. "That would be stupid. Seriously, Kate… can you see someone like me with Senator Casey? That's absurd. I admire her. I admire her a lot. She represents the very reason that I'm interested in politics in the first place. I like what she stands for. I'd love the chance to work with her. Just like I admire and would love to work with…"

Kate grinned for the first time. She could tell by the red that was already well into his face what he almost said. And she suddenly realized that she was still holding his hand. It felt… natural. He must have felt so too – because he made no move to pull away. "Alex," she said in mock seriousness. "Tell me. What am I going to do with you? When are you going to realize what you have going for you? You saved my life last night. At first I'll admit – I had my guard up. I was worried that you were hitting on me. After all, everybody else in this city has. But that was unfair. You were just trying to be my friend. So, I'm sorry that I misjudged you."

"You thought that I was hitting on you?" Alex sighed. "Come on. How stupid would that be? Even if you didn't already have a boyfriend… You're in the majors and leading the balloting for rookie of the year - I'm sitting on the bench on a High School team. The newest Beltway Babe? I'd have a better shot at Senator Casey."

Kate smiled at the sports metaphor. It was something that her dad and brothers would say. It was usually designed to gently poke fun at Mom. Mom would never have gotten that Alex had just said that Kate was out of his league. But little did Alex know that Kate had years of practice. She could 'Sports Metaphor' with the best of them. "And that's where you're wrong," she said. "Alex, why are you so hard on yourself? You're a high draft choice who the big club has their eye on. Currently you're in Double A – because you need to play every day and get some confidence. You could get the call to come up to the show any day now. Metaphors aside, you have as much to offer a woman as anybody that was in that club. I was actually having a good time with you last night – until I spoiled it. So what is it going to take to get you to forgive me? I'll do anything for a second chance."

Kate knew that saying that was a calculated risk. Whenever a woman told a man that she would do anything – there was one thing that always popped into their head. And indeed, Alex's head shot up.

"That's right," Kate said. "I said it. I'll do absolutely anything to get you to forgive me. Do you know why I can say that?"

Alex just shook his head.

"Because I trust you," Kate said. "I know that you won't ask me to do anything that would hurt me. Please tell me that I'm right."

Alex's nod was almost imperceptible – as was his smile. "Will you put in a good word for me with Senator Casey?" he asked softly.

Kate had to struggle to not show the relief on her face. But she was very relieved. Her big bluff had paid off. If she had made that offer to any man that she had met in Washington, there was no question what they would have asked for. It was a little more manipulative than she would normally have liked – and she wasn't really sure what she would have done if he had called her bluff - but he needed to know that she trusted him. And now she had a new friend – one she knew that she could trust. "Of course I will," Kate said. "But Alex, I would have done that anyway. We would love to have you on the staff. I'm talking about something personal - something that a friend does for a friend. How about this? You and I are going to that same club tonight. You did a great job as my beard – tonight I'm going to be your wingman."

"Why would you do that?" Alex asked. "You don't have to do that. I forgive you, okay? I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity, jackass," Kate said quickly. "It's what friends do for each other. I need a friend, Alex - someone who I can trust. And the simple truth is - I like you. So… I'm asking for a second chance - a second chance to prove to you that I can be your friend. I promise that I'll do better."

Alex actually smiled. "I like you too," he said. "Do you really think that I would have a chance at a club? Those women always act like I'm invisible."

"I don't think," Kate said. "I'm positive. Believe me when I say, I can be a great wingman. I have a lot of experience. I've gotten my brother more dates than he can count. And, trust me. You're a much better catch than he is. Of course the moron can't ever hang on to any of them. He thinks that he's a player."

"How does this work?" Alex asked with the smile growing – a bit. "I've never had a wingman."

"We'll pretend that we're dating," Kate said with a wink. "Trust me. Every woman in that club will be all over themselves for the chance to steal a man away from a Beltway Babe. Our biggest challenge will be to pick the right one."

Now Alex was actually grinning. Kate literally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt so great to see. And, if Alex was cute last night… He was simply adorable now. She really wanted to hug him. But that might be too much. _Yup, this is going to be fun._

"You were unbelievable this morning," Alex finally said. "I'm so proud of you. I've gotten ten emails this morning from people I barely know, asking me to introduce you to them. You're a celebrity. We're going to have to get you and Senator Casey on Saturday Night Live."

"Thanks," Kate said as she matched his grin. That actually wasn't that bad of an idea.

x-x-x-x-x


	7. The Breakup

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_You find a lot out about a person's character when they are under stress. Some people step up under stress – and some people break._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Breakup**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was bound and determined to find out what was wrong. Something clearly was. He had been sensing it for weeks now. But he kept brushing it off. At first, he kept telling himself that this was none of his business. After all, every couple goes through rough patches. But, who was he kidding? This was Katie who was hurting.

He was first able to put his finger on it at Aunt Janice's victory party. Before that, it was just a vague concern. Okay, so no one would like to see their girlfriend talking to other guys. Especially when those other guys were older – and clearly interested. But couldn't Paul see that she was working? After all, everybody else could see that Kate wasn't actually enjoying herself. You could plainly see the stress on her face. And wasn't Paul proud of her? He just seemed angry.

Chuck Junior was so genuinely proud of her that he could burst. He was probably the most proud of her than anybody – because he knew how hard this was for her. Sure, she was making it look easy – but he knew better. Didn't Paul just see Kate on GMA this morning? She had simply carved up those seasoned political hacks – who were forty years her senior – like Aunt Ellie's Thanksgiving turkey that she was probably going to miss next week. Naturally, Chuck Junior could never tell Kate how proud he was – but they both knew how they really felt about each other.

And Chuck Junior was, quite frankly, worried about her. She sounded so sad on the phone. It wasn't desperate – almost the opposite. She almost sounded resigned. Like she had given up. It managed to massively piss him off. With all that she was going through, she didn't need Paul's crap. It was time for Paul to step up and start treating her like someone he loved – not like someone he owned.

Yes, Paul was his friend. After all, he had introduced them. He even gave Paul tips on how to get her to go out with him. The prime one was to look at her eyes – not her chest. Sure, he liked Paul. At some level, he even rooted for them. But this was his sister. Paul clearly needed a kick in the pants – and Chuck Junior had brought his boots.

It took a long time for him to answer the door. That in itself surprised Chuck Junior. After all, he didn't have a class for a couple of hours.

When he finally did open the door, it was only a crack. And he was clearly still in bed. He was wrapped in a sheet. "Hey," Paul said groggily. "What's up?"

Kate hadn't said anything about Paul being sick. Maybe that's all this was. Paul was sick and didn't want to worry her – and she had misread the conversation. Chuck Junior was just about to make a joke about sleeping his life away – and then he saw her. She wasn't hard to spot. She clearly was making no attempt to hide. It was almost as if she wanted him to see her. If Chuck Junior hadn't been so shocked, he probably would have noticed how stunning she was. Her jet black hair covered her shoulders – but that was the only part of her body that was covered. After all, she was completely naked – except for the skimpiest of see-through panties. "Hey," she said softly. She made absolutely no effort to cover herself. "My name is Simone. You must be a friend of Paul's"

For his part, Paul's shoulders just sagged. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for you to find out like this."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey sat in Kate's kitchen with Chuck and Sarah. They were trying to figure out how to handle this situation. And, as usual, the debate was lively.

Sarah had the most straight-forward plan. Her idea was to take her gun and shoot Shaw in the head – and keep shooting as long as there was enough left of his head to aim at. After all, that technique had worked brilliantly with Adam Colson.

Casey's plan was very similar. The only real difference was that it would be him to pull the trigger instead of Sarah. Oh, and the first place that he would aim his shot. Casey clearly had a vindictive streak.

But it was Chuck, not surprisingly, who was the voice of caution. Team Chuck was now officially only Chuck and Sarah. And naturally, Sarah was technically the Team Lead. So her decision was final. Of course, she would never go against him. She just wanted to hear his thought process. He had a couple of pretty good reasons – he always did. Neither of them had anything to do with not wanting to see Shaw die. He really didn't mind that part of Sarah's plan. But he also knew that simply killing Shaw wouldn't solve all of their problems – it would just cause more.

For one, it would immediately become a political issue. Sarah was already associated with Janice. And if either a member of her retro-court – or the Senator's husband – were to kill the sitting Director of the CIA, it would raise a firestorm of questions.

But that wasn't the main reason. He also wanted to know what Shaw was really up too. After all, Chuck never bought that this was about Shaw simply wanting Sarah in a romance. There was more than just that. He knew it. Was there a plot that involved more than just Shaw? If so, then killing Shaw would just tip them off and they would simply change tactics. They would still have surprise. If there was a larger plot – they would have to figure out what it is before they could defend against it.

So he told then about his plan. As usual, Sarah's eye lit up. She always loved to listen to Chuck's plans. Casey noticed it too. That's why he left. He clearly didn't want to bear witness to whatever congratulatory gesture Sarah had in mind. And Chuck was smart enough to sweeten the pot. They would find out what the plot was. Then he would 'let' Sarah kill Shaw.

It would be his gift to her.

x-x-x-x-x

It had been many years since Dr. Eleanor Bartowski-Woodcomb had been paged to the E.R. She was now the head of the Neurology Department – she had been for over ten years. Her office was on the twelfth floor. It was probably as far away from the E.R. as any place in the hospital.

When she arrived at the E.R., the nurse greeted her. "Good morning, Dr. Woodcomb," she said. "He is waiting for you in examining room D."

When Ellie pulled back the curtain, she saw Chuck Junior sitting there. He obviously was in a lot of pain. "Sparky," Ellie said in alarm. What's wrong?"

Chuck Junior had to smile – in spite of the pain. Aunt Ellie had called him Sparky every since he was six. That was when he learned about static electricity – how to create it by scuffing his feet across the carpet – and how to terrorize his sister by giving her shocks. "They won't treat me without a guardian's okay," Chuck Junior said. "My parents are out of town. I don't know how to reach them."

"What happened?" Ellie asked in concern.

"I hit Paul," Chuck Junior said. "I think that I busted my hand."

"Sparky," Ellie said. "We'll set you up for an x-ray. Why would you hit Paul?"

"The son of a bitch," Chuck Junior sighed. "I caught him cheating on my sister."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise sat in her kitchen drinking her mid-morning cup of coffee. It was a pretty typical Wednesday. The boys were in school. She was waiting for Paul to come talk to her. She really wasn't sure why Kate wanted her to talk to him. After all, she didn't know him all that well. But he sounded eager enough on the phone.

She also wasn't sure what she should say to Paul. Mostly because she didn't know what she was rooting for. Make no mistake - she liked Paul, as much as she knew him anyway. But she really didn't think that he was necessarily the right guy for Kate. He seemed like more of a boyfriend to the family than to Kate. He treated her more like a trophy than a girlfriend. Kate was, in some ways, tough as nails. But she was sensitive in her interpersonal relationships – fragile even. She really needed a boyfriend who would be supportive and nurturing… and that wasn't Paul's strength.

Elise grinned to herself. This didn't have anything to do with the time that she caught him spying on her changing into her bathing suit at the lake. That was just boys being boys. Of course, Joe didn't quite take it so well. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have told him. She wasn't trying to make him jealous. She seriously thought he would think it was funny. She never expected him to get mad. She had to do some pretty sweet talking – and even a little something more than talking that night – to get him to let it drop. That's okay. It was nice to know that after being married almost twenty years – she could still press his buttons when she wanted too.

Fortunately, there was no way that Joe was going to run into Paul today. He was in Denver for the next two weeks. They were opening their fifth restaurant there. It was an exciting time. The business had really taken off. They were even going to let Robbie miss a couple of days of school and let him fly down for the long weekend. It was always Joe's dream to have the boys carry on the family business.

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Elise noticed when Paul walked into the door was the mouse that was forming under his left eye. She had seen enough fights to know what that was from. Paul was definitely going to wake up with a major shiner.

"Hi, Paul," Elise said as cheerfully as she could while she led him into the living room. "I glad you could make it."

"Thank you for asking me," Paul said. "What did you want to talk about?"

There was something about Paul's tone that was – well, strange. It made Elise uncomfortable. And when Elise was uncomfortable – she turned red. "I don't know how to start," she said awkwardly.

Paul just grinned. "I think I know how to start," he said.

Then, he did the very, very last thing that Elise expected. Suddenly, he was kissing her. It actually took a moment for her to realize that it was happening. There must be some mistake. He was definitely kissing her. She tried to pull away – but he had a pretty good grip. "Paul," she moaned as she tried to turn her head away from him. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. He just put his hand behind her head and tried to kiss her again – while the other hand found it's way to the outside of her blouse.

Okay, Elise may never have been the perfect agent – but she could surely take this guy. She quickly grabbed the hand that was attached to her left breast and ducked under it. She quickly had him turned and was behind him with his arm pinned behind his back. She used the leverage of his arm to slam his face into the wall. "What in the hell are you doing?" she shouted. "What is wrong with you?"

"Come on, Elise," Paul groaned in pain. "We both know why I'm here. Your husband is gone for two weeks. Why would you invite me over here?"

Now Elise was as pissed as she had ever been in her whole life. She knew that much more pressure would break his arm. And she seriously thought about it. But she didn't want to inflict that much damage. So she used her leverage to pull him back from the wall, and quickly slam him back into it. "Listen good," she said. "If you ever – and I mean ever touch me again, you're earning a ride in an ambulance. Are we clear?"

Paul could only nod.

Finally, Elise released him. At least there was no longer any ambiguity about what she was rooting for. She was still shaking with anger. "Get the hell out of here," she growled. "We no longer have anything to talk about. Either you tell Kate about this – or I will."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was just arriving to pick up Kate. They were going from here to the club. And Alex was honestly pretty nervous as he rang the outside door to Kate's building – on multiple levels, really. For one thing, it was the first time that he would be in Kate's apartment. That in itself was intimidating. After all, she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. It was hard to not act like a stammering idiot in front of her. She buzzed him in without a word.

Then there was that. Kate was much more than beautiful. That wasn't even her biggest quality. She was… what was she? The only thing that Alex could come up with was – incredible – in every single way that someone could be incredible. Kate Bartowski was everything that Alex had ever dreamed about in a woman, all rolled up into one incredible package. She was funny - and smart – and interested in the same things – and nice – and… was with someone else. This was never going to happen. He had to get that out of his head. She clearly didn't see him that way. She said it herself. She wanted a friend who she could trust. There were two hundred and one reasons why they could never happen. She was going out tonight and mentor him on how to successfully pick up chicks. Did that sound like someone who was even remotely interested in romance?

As Alex knocked on her door, he quickly came to a decision. Kate Bartowski was completely out of his league. He simply had to quit pining after her. Otherwise, he was just going to be miserable – pathetic – a love sick… Then Kate opened the door – and all of that resolve instantly vanished. It was gone like a soap bubble on a hot afternoon. She was standing there with tears running down her face.

Immediately, Alex's protective instinct kicked in. So he quickly stepped into the room and closed the door. "Kate," he said. "What's wrong?"

Kate didn't really respond – not with words anyway. Of course, Alex wasn't aware of how Kate hated to cry - especially in front of anybody. She never wanted to view herself as a damsel in distress. She hated women who played tears to manipulate guys. It just didn't fit how she saw herself. So when Kate threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder, he really didn't know how impressed he should have been. All he knew for sure was that she was hurting – and that he had to make it stop – whatever it was. So he reached around her and gently rubbed her back while she sobbed. "Katie," he repeated as softly as he could. "Tell me what's wrong."

x-x-x-x-x

This was simultaneously turning out to be the best night of Alex's young life – and also the worst.

On the plus side, he was sitting on the couch holding an angel in his arms. She felt… well, incredible seemed to be the word of the night – overused maybe – but it was the only word that could describe how he felt. She was sitting there with her face buried into his neck. She had stopped crying – well mostly. Alex was beginning to think that she had fallen asleep.

But she hadn't. And that led to the bad part. Alex had to sit there and listen to Kate recap, in amazingly vivid detail, her five year relationship with this jerk who had just dumped her right when she needed him the most. It pissed him off so much that he was having a hard time sitting there listening to her hurting. But this is what she needed. That's what friends did for each other, right?

After Kate stopped crying, she half-heartedly offered to still take Alex to the club. But that would be silly. Neither of them was in the mood to go out. Alex offered to leave her alone – but she pleaded with him to stay. And that suited him fine. After all, this was the only place he wanted to be anyway.

Janice was a scheduled guest on one of the cable news channels at nine, so they decided just to stay in and watch her. Alex knew this great pizza place. That was a home run with Kate. She loved pizza – and could never get Paul to order one. So they ordered a large pizza with the works. Kate had a magnum of champagne that one of the supporters had given her as an election victory / I'd-love-to-get-you-drunk present in the refrigerator. Pizza and champagne wasn't a classic combination – but it worked.

They quickly found that they were having a great time - especially after watching Janice's interview. After all, she was a genius at turning the tables on a hostile interviewer and making him look foolish. Wouldn't they ever learn? They were both soon giggling at the poor guy. Alex even impressed her by pointing out a couple of details in the interview that they could get some mileage out of. Kate made a mental note to follow up with him tomorrow.

"Thank you for being my friend tonight," Kate said with the first relaxed smile that Alex had seen. She poured herself another glass. "I hate to cry – but I really needed that. I probably looked really foolish."

"Trust me," Alex said. "You didn't look foolish at all. You looked…" Alex wanted to tell her that she looked incredible - that she always looked incredible – but that would be awkward.

Kate didn't let him off the hook. "I looked?" she asked. Her smile had turned sly. "How did I look?"

Alex didn't know what to say – so he settled for the truth. "You looked incredible," he said. "You always do."

Kate just continued the sly smile. The blush that was well into his face was so cute. "Thanks," she said softly. "That was very sweet. I needed to hear that."

Kate was clearly vulnerable. This was getting into dangerous territory. Alex knew that he had better change the subject – and the mood. "You're welcome," he finally said. "For what it's worth, that guy is an idiot. Are you feeling a little better?"

"I am," Kate said with a sigh. "Paul just wasn't the one. I should have realized that a long time ago. I just was lazy. Paul was too easy. I'm sorry that I ruined our night."

"Don't worry about that," Alex said with his own smile. "I'm having a good time. I'm just sorry to see you hurting. There will be plenty of nights to see me make a fool out of myself trying to pick up chicks in a club."

Kate giggled. The champagne was clearly starting to have an effect. "Why do you think you're going to make a fool of yourself?" she asked. "I told you that I'm a great wingman. You'll see."

"I'll take your word for it," Alex said with a grin. He was really starting to enjoy tipsy Kate. Her words were starting to really slur. It was a side of her that he had never seen. Actually, it was a side of her that nobody had ever seen. It was her first time.

"We have to practice," Kate said excitedly.

"Practice?" Alex questioned as his grin broadened. "What do we need to practice?"

"Being a couple, silly," Kate said. "We're going to have to sell that we're a couple."

Alex just scoffed. "Nobody is going to buy us as a couple," he said. "Look at us."

Kate sighed. "Will you stop being so negative?" she scolded with a silly grin as she took another big drink. "We can certainly sell ourselves as a couple. They just have to see us kiss."

"Umm… Wow, Kate," Alex stammered. "I don't think so." He knew that he was about to fall hard as it was. And that was stupid. If she kissed him…

"Chicken," Kate pouted. "Are you seriously saying that you won't kiss me? Are you trying to hurt my feelings?"

Now he was trapped – and he knew it. When she put it like that… "Of course not," Alex said quickly. Maybe he could keep this light. "What kind of kiss are we talking about?"

Kate actually thought about it for a moment. "Well," she said. "It has to be hot enough to sell that we're a couple – but if it's too hot, it will scare them away. How about this?"

The instant that Kate touched her lips to Alex's something happened. She was genuinely surprised by how intense it was. She knew that kissing Alex would be nice. After all, she had just plainly manipulated him into letting her. But she didn't expect this. Kate was stunned as she felt the huge amount of electricity between them. They both did. It felt so… well, electric. So she reached behind his head and pulled him in closer.

Alex knew right away that he was in serious trouble. That was the most intense experience of his life. But he couldn't tell Kate that. He had to find some way to keep this light. As soon as the kiss broke, Alex smiled. "I think that was too hot," he said.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "It would scare them away." Then she moved in and kissed him again. This time, there could be no pretense of any practice. It wasn't a kiss that would ever happen in public. Their tongues danced for a long moment. "I think I know what my problem is," she whispered. Her words were now noticeably slurred. "I'm too uptight. That's what drove Paul away. I need to loosen up." So she reached down and pulled her shirt over her head.

Alex was wrong just a second ago. If their first kiss was intense – this was a hundred times that. To say that he was surprised was a gross understatement. He watched as she shyly held her shirt in front of her for a moment – and then let it slip to the floor. Wow - he couldn't imagine a more erotic sight. Her bra wasn't exactly transparent – but it didn't hide much either. He could clearly see the outline of her breasts raising and falling with each breath. He was simply mesmerized.

Once Alex could tear his attention away from Kate's chest, he knew that he had to do something. Of course, he knew where this was quickly heading. And he was instantly ashamed of himself that he was even considering it. He knew that he couldn't take advantage of her – not when she was dead drunk and on the rebound. That's not what friends did.

Alex really didn't have any decision to make. He would much rather be her friend for the rest of her life – than her lover for one night. But he knew that he had to act quickly. Her hands were already reaching down to take off her pants. She had already unbuttoned them. So he reached down and grabbed her hands and pulled her into his chest. "Come on, Katie," he whispered. "Not tonight… Not like this."

Kate just relaxed into his arms. "Spoil sport," she mumbled. Her words were so faint and slurred that Alex really couldn't understand them. So he just held her. But after a few moments time it really didn't matter. Kate was fast asleep anyway.

Alex picked her up and carried her to her bed. He really didn't know what to do. Should he take her pants off and put her under the covers? Should he just leave her on top of the covers? He finally decided that her pants were almost off anyway – and she would be much more comfortable. So he pulled them the rest of the way off, and as quickly as he could, put her in bed. As he pulled the sheet up to her neck, he gently kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, Katie," he whispered sadly.

When he got to the door, he looked back at her one last time. She was so beautiful lying there sleeping. Alex knew that the image of her lying there in only her underwear was going to haunt him for a long, long time. He was still reeling from the electricity of their last kiss. He never knew that it was even possible to want something so badly. But he knew… she really didn't want this. She was just drunk and hurting. He would never be able to live with himself.

"Okay, Kate," he sighed into the darkness. "If you could only do that when you were sober." But he knew that it would never happen. And he also knew something else. His personal battle was now forever lost. For the first time in his life he was in love. He was now falling helplessly, hopelessly in love - with someone who he could never be with. "Congratulations, dumb ass," he berated himself. "You truly are pathetic. Well, at least, now we only have two hundred reasons…"

x-x-x-x-x


	8. The Mission

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_The bad guys plan starts to bear some fruit – or does it?_

_The scariest thing that you will ever do is tell someone that you love them – and mean it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Mission**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were sitting in Director Shaw's office. Chuck was seriously having a hard time. Seeing the man in person across the table brought back a lot of emotion. He had almost forgotten how much he hated this guy. Sarah was holding his hand out of sight underneath the conference table. He felt her give him a quick squeeze for reassurance.

"Chuck, Sarah," Shaw began. "We have an important opportunity that we can't let pass. It seems that some remnants of The Ring have resurfaced." Shaw put a picture on the screen. "This man is Yuri Asimov. He was one of the targets of our mission ten years ago. I'm sure that you remember him, Sarah."

"I do," Sarah replied curtly. "He was somewhat less than charming. It took me a month to scrub his fingerprints off the various parts of my body."

"Indeed," Shaw replied. "He is the only one of the targets who escaped our trap. Now he has resurfaced. He has clearly resumed his black market arms trading."

"Okay," Chuck said. "Why don't we just grab him?"

"That won't work," Shaw said. "We're not after Asimov. He is a minor player. That's why we let him go ten years ago. We're really after his boss, Serge DeVan. A major black market arms player and senior Ring operative. We believe that he leads the Ring operations in France. We believe that the Ring is attempting to purchase a nuclear weapon. Once they have one, it would be a major blackmail opportunity."

"Don't tell me," Sarah said sarcastically. "You want me to go undercover and get close to Asimov."

"Exactly," Shaw said. "In our previous mission, he believed that you and I were a married team of American arms dealers on our honeymoon. He showed an extreme interest in you. We would like you to exploit that interest to get him to lead you to DeVan."

"Undercover as your wife?" Sarah asked. "Director Shaw, I believe that I've made abundantly clear what our rules of engagement are for going on any missions. This clearly does not fall under those rules." Sarah stood up to leave. "I believe that we're done here," she said.

"I'm not really finished," Shaw said sharply. "If you would allow me to continue…"

Sarah stared at Shaw intently for a long moment. Then she finally sat back down.

"Thank you," Shaw said sarcastically. "There are many problems with you and me going undercover together. For one, I'm the sitting director of the CIA. I would be easily recognized. Besides the fact that you clearly are uncomfortable. I understand, Sarah. It's hard to appear to be that intimate for so long without real feelings surfacing."

Chuck could see Sarah's jaw tighten. But she didn't respond to Shaw's obvious attempt to bait her.

"Besides," Shaw said. "We need Chuck. We don't know what DeVan looks like. We need the intersect."

"How will that work?" Chuck asked.

"We have established a cover," Shaw said. "Sarah divorced her husband some four years ago. Charles Carmichael here is her new husband."

"So," Chuck said. "Sarah plays footsie with Asimov and we keep our eye out for DeVan. What happens when we ID him?"

"Your mission is over," Shaw said. "You contact us and we pick him up. They are working out of a luxury hotel on the French Riviera. We have a suite reserved for you. You'll need to be on the plane tonight."

"How long do you think we'll be gone?" Sarah asked. "We have kids at home."

"They are hardly kids," Shaw said. "The youngest is sixteen. Certainly, they can be on their own for a while. As far as how long – Sarah, that's mostly up to you. How aggressively are you willing to play footsie? If you're willing to include a thigh or maybe even a breast, this could be over in a couple of weeks. You know how eager Asimov was to get friendly with you. And, if I may say so, you're more stunning now than you were then."

Sarah was confused. Whatever Shaw was up too, she surely wasn't expecting to fly to France – and leave Shaw here. But it didn't sound half bad. They really had no choice but to let it play out. "Fine," she said.

"There is one other thing," Shaw said. "Chuck will need an update to be able to flash on DeVan. We have one loaded on your secure laptop in your mission packet. You can upload it when you get to your hotel."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate stumbled into the office. Thank God that she didn't have any appointments this morning. If that was what drinking felt like – forget it. Her head was pounding. She didn't have any aspirin in her apartment. And she didn't want to go next door and ask Uncle Casey for any. That would just lead to another lecture. Fortunately, she knew who would have some.

Of course, Julie had aspirin. After all, hangovers were an occupational hazard in politics. "What happened?" she asked expectantly. "I thought that you were taking Alex out last night? I didn't see you at the club. Did you go somewhere else?"

Kate really didn't want to share any details of her night with Alex. Julie would just take it the wrong way and go off half cocked. "No," she said. "We didn't go out. My boyfriend and I broke up last night. I stayed in and drowned my sorrows in champagne." After all, that was all the truth – just not all the truth.

Julie took the news as expected. "You broke up?" she said as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You poor thing. I need to fix you up. Let's go out tonight. You know what they say? When a horse bucks you off…"

Kate was pretty sure that she didn't want to think about a horse bucking Julie off. Somehow, she had a hard time thinking that she meant that literally. One thing that she knew for sure… She didn't want Julie fixing her up. Fighting off some 'stud' with six arms was all that she needed. "I think that I'm going out with Alex," she said. "I blew him off last night. I owe him. Maybe some other time." _Yeah, like in fifty years_.

There was one thing about Julie. She clearly didn't discourage easily. "Maybe I'll see you guys tonight," she said.

Kate was noncommittal. "Maybe," she said. "Thanks for the aspirin."

x-x-x-x-x

It really wasn't technically a meeting. The Ring didn't have meetings. But they were all there - listening to his report.

"Yes sir," he said. "Our plan is on schedule. Our agent was able to successfully seduce the boyfriend. It was actually quite easy. Once she had him in bed, she was able to insist that he end his relationship with the target. That happened last night. Our agent will stay engaged with him for a couple of weeks to make sure there is no reconciliation."

"Excellent," someone said. "What about the parents?"

"They are on their way to France," he said with a grin. "They are not going to be having a good next couple of weeks. Mr. Bartowski now thinks that he caught his wife having a long term affair with Director Shaw. Now only that, their mark knows that they're coming. He has been instructed to be very… demanding in what he is going to get from Mrs. Bartowski in exchange for any tidbits of information. If I know the Bartowskis, he'll be listening to every groan his wife is forced to make."

"How long will they be there?" someone asked.

"That's up to us, sir," he said. "The man they are tasked with finding doesn't really exist. So our Mr. Asimov will be able to lead her around any way he chooses. Seeing her husband deteriorate like that will more than likely cause her to get desperate to end the mission. Who knows what he'll be able to get her to do. After we're done and they're broken, Director Shaw wants a shot at her – both figuratively and literally. Neither of them will be coming home."

"What about the girl?" the original man asked. "After all, she is the prime target."

"Yes, sir," he said. "She is now isolated and lonely. Our agent is beginning to work on her tonight. It should only take a few days – a week tops before we'll have a tape to show to Senator Casey. Just to be safe, we are monitoring several cell phones. All of the family, and the old members of the team."

"Excellent," the leader said. "Keep us informed of your progress. You're dismissed."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate went to the water cooler to get a glass of water to wash down the pills. Then she retreated to her office. She was so confused.

There were some things that were fuzzy about last night – like how she ended up in bed. But there were also some things that were burned forever into her brain.

First, there was Alex. How could he be so nice – and sweet – and funny - and sexy – and so damned perfect - and - clearly not interested? After all, she had absolutely thrown herself at him last night. She had stripped for him, for goodness sake. That took a lot for her to do. Okay, so it took some drinks for her to work up the nerve. But it was so out of character for her. It was downright slutty. It was far more than she had ever done before, even with Paul. And how did it work out? She ended up in bed - alone.

That's where Kate was confused. Isn't that what men wanted? With Paul, all she would have had to do was suggest that she might be willing. He would turn off the lights and have her naked before the room got dark. Then he would spend the rest of the night figuring out creative ways for her to please him. Wasn't Paul smart enough to figure out why she was always so hesitant to get physical with him? She wasn't frigid or a prude like he constantly kidded her. She was just tired of being the toy.

Clearly, Alex wasn't Paul. She had only known him for a little over two weeks. But she had to admit - Alex had already come through for her more than Paul did in five years. Not even close.

And, yes, she had cried last night at the shock of Paul dumping her. But the truth was she was relieved. It would have taken a lot for her to break up with Paul. After all, loyalty was a main thing to her. But the honest truth was she already knew in her heart that Paul was not the one. It took him dumping her to get her to admit the truth.

It was ironic. Alex had low self esteem. Paul was brash and confident. Yet Alex had it all over Paul – in every way one could imagine. And if she was brutally honest, she would admit that it felt nice to snuggle with him last night. More than nice – it felt – right. That was something that she never did with Paul. But it was definitely something that she could easily get used to. As much as it embarrassed her to admit it, she may have even milked the crying for a little longer just to have the excuse to snuggle with him. And that kiss. _Oh my God, that kiss_. Okay, so she had to manipulate him into it. But it was plainly head and shoulders the most electric moment of her life. Sure, she had been drinking. But nothing could change what she felt. And he kissed back, damn it. Nobody could fake that chemistry. He was obviously into it. But then – nothing.

She would have to face the cold hard facts. There was the very real possibility that Alex simply wasn't interested in being anything more than friends. Could she get him to fall in love with her? If so, she didn't know how. Or was she really going there? Was she really going to be that girl - the girl who was hopelessly, helplessly in love with someone that she couldn't be with? That was pretty pathetic. But, she had to admit – she was well on the way.

Kate needed to talk to someone. But who? She obviously couldn't talk to Alex – not about this. Mom was gone on her mission. Aunt Janice was out. She wouldn't get the problem. Chuck Junior? Please. She'd rather talk to Uncle Casey.

That just left… Yeah, that might work. Maybe Elise could help.

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Sarah did was check the room for bugs. It was force of habit more than anything. Naturally, Chuck knew better than to speak until she had pronounced the room clean.

"We're good," Sarah finally said. "How should we proceed? Asimov will be in the bar in a few hours. Should I try and make contact?"

"Not tonight," Chuck said. "We're tired. I don't think that he'll expect us tonight."

"So," Sarah called from the bathroom. "You think that he knows we're coming?"

"Sure," Chuck said. "I don't think anything about this mission is legitimate. I think it is all bullshit to get me to take the update and make me crazy jealous. We'll know for sure by the way he treats you. If I'm right, he is going to be all over you. He will start trying to trade information for sex right away."

When Sarah came out of the bathroom, she was wearing an amazing dress. Even pushing fifty with three kids, Sarah still looked amazing. "Well," she said with a laugh. "He's going to be disappointed with the sex. Get dressed. I didn't come all the way to France to sit in a hotel room. You're taking your best girl to dinner and then dancing."

Chuck moaned. "Whatever happened to we're too tired?"

"Come on, Agent Bartowski," Sarah said. "We're on a mission. It's time to suck it up. We need to check out the layout of the hotel."

"Wow," Chuck said. "Sarah, you look incredible. I suddenly think that I have some information that I'd like to trade for sex."

Sarah just laughed. He could always make her laugh. It was just one of the things that she loved about him – but it was huge. "Thanks," she said with a grin as she gave him a quick peck. "Why do you think I do all those sit ups? Once we get back – I might be able to accommodate you."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was just finishing up checking her daily mountain of emails when Alex poked his head through the open door. Fortunately, the aspirin was starting to kick in.

"Hey," Alex said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm never drinking champagne again," Kate said with a sigh. "Never. How about you?"

Alex looked at Kate in awe. Even when she was clearly not feeling well, she was absolutely stunning. He knew that he had to keep the conversation light. The last thing that he wanted was for her to be embarrassed about last night. "Well," he said. "Everyone needs to let go every once in a while. At least you had a good reason. Are you feeling better?"

Okay. There it was. Why did he have to be so sweet? He was always worried about her. She wanted so badly to hug him. "I'm fine," she said. "You really helped last night. That was the best pizza I've ever had. Thank you – for everything."

"Don't thank me," Alex said. "I had a great time." If she wasn't going to bring it up, he sure as hell wasn't going to either. Maybe they could just pretend that it never happened. "Are we still going out tonight? It's okay if you're not feeling up to it." Hopefully, she would cancel. The last thing that he wanted was to have to be charming to another woman – in front of her.

Kate had to fight to keep the smile on her face. Crap. He wants me to be his wingman. The very, very last thing that Kate wanted to do was to help Alex pick up some other girl in a bar. But what could she do? It was her damn idea in the first place? "Of course," she said as cheerfully as she could manage. "I'm telling you – I'm a great wingman. You'll see."

Alex took a big breath and forced the grin. "Great," he said. "I'll tell you what. I'll pick up a pizza and bring it to your place around seven. We can go from there. Would that be okay?" It sounded like a real date.

Kate grinned. He was so sweet. It sounded like her perfect fantasy date. Except in her fantasy they wouldn't be going to a club… or be dressed for very long. "That would be great," she said. "I'll see you then."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate waited until lunch to call Elise. After all, it was only nine there. At least the kids would be in school. Even then, she felt badly for bothering her.

Elise was pretty insistent. "Sweetie," she said with a tad of an edge. "I'm starting to get a little frustrated. What do I have to do to get you to believe that you aren't bothering me? Listen to me. I love it when you call me. I love you. I miss you. You are to call me any time of the day or night – no matter how silly you think it is. Please, don't ever make me say it again."

When Elise told Kate the story of what happened with Paul yesterday, Kate started to cry. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Elise just laughed. "Why are you sorry sweetie?" she said soothingly. "You didn't do anything wrong. Paul is the one who messed up. Trust me. He paid a price. I bet he never does it again. Now, what is bothering you?"

Kate told her the story of her meeting Alex and what happened last night.

Elise was hesitant. "Sweetie," she said. "Are you sure that this isn't a rebound thing? I mean, come on. You think that you're in love with someone the very day that Paul breaks up with you?"

"I understand how you would think that," Kate said. "I do. But the truth is, I was thinking about Alex before yesterday. I just couldn't bring myself to break up with Paul. He was just too easy. And I'm not saying that I'm in love with Alex… yet. How do you get someone to fall in love with you, Elise? How did you get Uncle Joe to fall for you?"

"Honestly," Elise said with a giggle. "I slept with him – a lot. It was amazing."

"I tried that," Kate said with a sigh. "He wouldn't sleep with me."

"Wow," Elise said. "That's incredible. You said that he was really into the kisses. Then you took off your clothes in front of him and he didn't want to go to bed with you? What did he say?"

Kate hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure," she said sadly. "I was drinking. I sort of passed out. When I woke up, I was in bed alone. He left."

Elise laughed. As a matter of fact, she couldn't stop laughing… for a while. "I'm sorry, Katie," she finally was able to get out. "I'm not laughing at you. Okay, maybe I am a little. I'm sorry. But this guy sounds very sweet to me. He didn't want to take advantage of you."

Kate paused – for a long moment. "Do you think so?" she finally asked.

"Yes, Katie," Elise said. "I absolutely do. He saw his friend drunk and hurting. Her boyfriend of five years had just broken up with her. So he did the right thing. He helped her into bed and left her to sleep it off. It was probably the hardest thing that he has ever done in his life. I like him already. Most men would have… well, done something else."

Kate still wasn't convinced. "Okay," she said. "But why would he want me to help him pick up other women?"

"Wasn't that your idea?" Elise asked. "Katie, you said this guy isn't confident. Go look in the mirror. Trust me - you are very intimidating to a man, even a confident man. You're asking too much for him to pick up on your signals. If you want him to know how you feel about him, you'll have to tell him."

x-x-x-x-x

Janice was sitting at her desk, reviewing the latest speech that Kate had written for her when she heard a knock on the open door.

"Excuse me, Senator Casey. Do you have a second?"

"Sure."

"This isn't important. If you're busy, I can come back."

"Don't be silly," Janice said. "Come in, Alex. Close the door."

Janice came out from behind her desk to meet him. "Have a seat," she said. "What's on your mind?"

"Umm," Alex started awkwardly. "Kate has made me aware of a situation that I need to correct. She tells me that there is the perception that I have a romantic interest in you. Trust me, I admire you very much. You are sort of my hero. But please believe me – I have nothing inappropriate in mind. I'm very sorry if anything I've done has caused anybody any grief."

Janice just smiled. "Relax, Alex," she said. "I've always known that you didn't have a crush on me. That's what Kate thinks. But she's wrong."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said as he got up to leave.

Janice just grabbed his hand. "Sit back down for a second," she said. "Kate tells me that you would like to join the permanent staff. Tell me why. It really wouldn't be a good career move. You're already working for the party. Senators sometimes lose reelection."

"I understand that," Alex said. "But Senator, I got into politics because I wanted to make a difference. I see that same thing in you and Kate. I can't tell you how much I admire the campaign that you just executed. It's probably the worst kept secret in the city that you might be considering running for President. I'd love to be part of your team. I hope that this doesn't sound arrogant or critical – but I think I can bring something. I have some inside the beltway experience."

Janice just smiled. "It doesn't sound arrogant at all," she said. "You're right. We need you. Okay, Alex. Consider yourself the first member of my staff."

Alex beamed. "Thank you," he said. "I really appreciate the opportunity."

"You're welcome," Janice said. "Now all you have to do is end your relationship with Kate."

The smile quickly faded from Alex's face. "Excuse me," he said.

The smile never left Janice's face. "Kate is my Chief of Staff," she said. "You would be reporting directly to her. Certainly you couldn't possibly have a relationship with her outside of the office. You'll have to end it."

Alex just slumped into his chair. "I'm sorry, Senator Casey," he said sadly. "I would love to work with you – but I'm afraid that I can't do that."

Janice's smile turned into more of a grin. She reached over and grabbed Alex's hand. "I didn't think so," she said. "I'm sorry that I just manipulated you into admitting that. I have my own reasons. I wanted to be sure. Does she know how you feel about her?"

Alex shook his head sadly. "No," he said. "I could never tell her. She wants to be friends. She would never want to be more with me. I'm not in her league."

Janice just narrowed her eyes a bit. "Don't you think that should be Kate's decision?"

"I don't know how to go about it," Alex sighed. "I'm crazy about her. I could never imagine someone so perfect. But I don't want to ruin what I do have. She's too important to me to drive her away."

"Wow, Alex," Janice said. "It sounds like you could use a plan."

"I could," Alex sighed. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Well," Janice said thoughtfully. "Maybe. I really don't want to get in the middle of you and Kate. Whatever you kids decide should be totally your decision. But listen to this. It might be a little out there but if you listen to the whole thing, I think you might agree. It just might actually be crazy enough to work."

Alex leaned forward in anticipation.

"Okay," Janice said. "Stay with me here. Phase one. You go to Kate. You tell her that you're head over heels in love with her. You ask her how she feels…"

Alex nodded.

"Well, I guess there is no other phase," Janice said with a soft smile. "That's the whole plan."

Alex's face fell. "You're making fun of me," he said sadly.

Janice put her hand on the back of Alex's neck. "Son, I'm not making fun of you," she said softly. "Well, maybe a little. But I'm also rooting for you. I think that you're aware that I think of Kate as my own daughter. I'm incredibly protective of her. I honestly think that you would be good for her. She needs you."

"Could you talk to her for me?" Alex asked hopefully. "Kate worships you."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Janice said. "I can't do that. You wouldn't want me too. That's why Kate was with Paul for five years. Because she thought that's what her family wanted. If she is going to ever have something real, it has to be because she decides it. And that's why you have to tell her. Trust me, I know Katie. You might just be surprised at what she says. Who knows? Maybe she feels the same way."

"But what if she doesn't?" Alex sighed.

"But what if she does?" Janice replied. "Alex, trust me, I understand what you're feeling. I've been there. Telling someone that you love them for the first time - and meaning it - is the scariest thing that you'll ever do. But do you really want to live the rest of your life not knowing?"

x-x-x-x-x


	9. The Wingman

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Kate's mom told her that she would just know. But a lot of things that your parents tell you don't make sense – until they do._

_The scariest thing that you will ever do is tell someone that you love them – and mean it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Wingman**

x-x-x-x-x

Kate had to admit. This was the best pizza that she had ever eaten. It was even better than last night. It was even better when you were sober. There was another thing that she had to admit. Alex was much sweeter when she was sober. She was having such a great time. Alex was keeping her laughing all night. Her biggest challenge was to keep from looking like a giggling schoolgirl to him. No matter what they talked about, they just clicked.

Politics? Alex was a freaking genius. Kate prided herself on being up to speed on everything. After all, she was the town's newest prodigy. But Alex knew every single issue inside and out. And not only did he almost always agree with her - he always knew the details of their opponent's positions, why they had them, and, most importantly, how to attack them. Kate realized right away that they needed to include Alex in their strategy sessions. She trusted him. And he simply knew details about things that neither she nor Janice did. She made a mental note to talk to Aunt Janice about it tomorrow.

Music? Finally she had found someone who shared her tastes. Paul and her brothers had always made fun of Kate's preferences in music – which leaned heavily Country. But Kate stumbled across Alex's I-pod. And every one of her favorites was on it. As a matter of fact, she had it playing in the background while they talked. He was so adorable when he sang along. Kate had always been self conscious about singing in front of people. So why was she now confidently belting out lyrics with him? It was a blast.

Sports? Both were huge baseball fans. Or course baseball season wouldn't begin for several months – but they already had a date to go to Sunday's Redskin's game.

"Okay," Kate asked with a grin. "How did you get Redskin's tickets? They are impossible to get."

Alex just smiled. "Senator Casey gave them to me," he said. "A lobbyist gave her two tickets. Apparently Colonel Casey is not that big of a fan. So she told me to ask you. The seats are in their luxury box – so we should have a good time."

Kate's brow furrowed. There were some things about that story that didn't add up. For one thing, Uncle Casey loved football. All he talked about was going to a Redskin's game. And they were playing his favorite team, Dallas on Sunday. Aunt Janice was surely going to catch hell. She was obviously trying to fix them up. Aunt Janice would never tell Kate who to date. It was an area where she kept her hands strictly off. She always told Kate that was her decision to make. That's why she never said anything bad about Paul. But she plainly didn't care for him. This was Janice's clear signal to her, without saying it, that Alex had her seal of approval. But what did she say to Alex… "When did you talk to Senator Casey?" she asked.

"I talked to her this afternoon," Alex said. "I wanted to make sure that she knew that I don't have a crush on her."

Kate looked at Alex. The red that was traveling up his neck in record speed told her that there was more to this story. "And?" she asked expectantly.

"She told me that she already knew," Alex said. "She offered me a permanent position. Then she gave me the tickets. She is really nice. I was kind of afraid of her."

Kate decided to let him off the hook. After all, who knew what Aunt Janice could get him to talk about? Whatever it was, he clearly was embarrassed about it. "She is very nice," Kate said. "As long as she likes you. If she doesn't…"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck sat in the club and watched Sarah dance. She was truly in her element on the dance floor. She looked as if she was the only person in the world.

Chuck could only sigh. This was typical Shaw. Send you to one of the most famous beach resorts in the world – in the winter. In the off season, the French Rivera turned into one huge drunken semi-orgy for the rich and privileged jet setters. And his wife still had it. Whatever it was – she most definitely had it. When Sarah turned on that molten sex goddess look, she naturally attracted a lot of attention – along with many invitations to dance. Chuck had long ago gotten over being jealous of Sarah on a mission. Of course, every eye in the place was on her.

But Chuck soon realized that he had his own problems. And when he turned, he saw her – just sitting down next to him. She looked to be about Kate's age. She was clearly one of the many gold diggers that frequented the club – looking to snag a rich dude. And he knew right away - he had to get rid of her – quickly. Sarah hadn't quite gotten over being jealous of Chuck on a mission. Okay, so it didn't seem fair. But then again, there were lot's of things in life that weren't fair.

He had just barely shooed her away when he spotted Asimov. He wasn't hard to pick out. The guy had to weigh close to three hundred. Chuck spoke into his wrist. "There he is," he said. "Southeast corner of the room. Black jacket."

"I see him," Sarah's voice quickly came over his earpiece. "I'm on my way."

Chuck could see her making her way over to that side of the room.

"By the way," Sarah's voice said into his earpiece. "Who's the child? We will be discussing this later. At least you now have some information to trade."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was beginning to watch the clock – with dread. This night had been entirely too perfect. And soon, they would have to leave – for the club – and Kate's lessons on how to pick up chicks.

Maybe Elise was right. Maybe she should just tell him. After all, there was really no longer any doubt in her mind. Alex was simply the perfect guy for her. What was the problem anyway? Kate surely couldn't claim to be shy. She had been on television a dozen times already this week. Why was this so hard? Did she really fear rejection that badly? Maybe she should ease into this. So she turned up the volume on the I-pod. "Come on," she said as she grabbed Alex's hand. "We have to practice."

Alex couldn't keep the horror from his face. He remembered last night's practice. He knew that he would never survive another kiss like that. Maybe Senator Casey was right. After all, being this close to her like this was torture. It was all he could do to not kiss her as it was. Maybe he should just tell her. Maybe it would even be easier once he knew that she didn't feel the same way. What was the worst that could happen? Then he answered his own question. _I could lose her as a friend_. He couldn't risk that. He was having the time of his life. He couldn't lose this. "Practice?" he groaned. "What do we have to practice tonight?"

"Dancing," Kate said with a grin. "We have to work on your dancing."

Alex knew his play list. There were only slow songs coming for the next few minutes. "Shouldn't we find another song?" he asked.

"No," Kate said. "Girls like to dance fast for fun. But if you want to close the deal, you have to romance them." She stepped up to him and put her head on his chest. She then wrapped her arms around his waist. He smelled so good that she almost forgot where she was. "Come on, Alex," she said softly. "Hold me."

Alex knew that he was in serious trouble. She felt so damn good. So he put his arms around her as lightly as he possibly could. Even so, he could feel her chest rubbing against his. Then he did it. He flinched – a little - but that was all it took.

"Alex," Kate asked with a grin. "Are you ticklish?"

Well, telling Kate Bartowski that you were ticklish was like throwing blood into shark infested waters – except worse. Sometimes sharks weren't hungry. Soon they were rolling on the floor.

It was hard to wrestle and keep someone from tickling you – and still respect their girl parts. Actually, that wasn't true. It wasn't hard. It was impossible. Kate was quick and nimble. And her hands were everywhere. Finally Alex was able overcome his laughing and use his size advantage – and the fact that Kate was paralyzed from laughing so hard herself - to pin her arms to her side. They soon found themselves lying on the floor panting for breath face to face. Every square inch of their bodies was touching in some way.

It was suddenly the most intimate situation that either had ever been in. They both immediately stopped laughing. Alex could see into her eyes. It might be cliché to say that he could see his unborn children there. Maybe that was a bit much. But he couldn't imagine anything more beautiful in the whole world than her blue eyes. There was zero question. She was the one. He could feel her breath as she trembled in his arms. This was it.

Neither one really made a move to kiss. Their lips simply moved together of their own accord. Just as they touched, Kate's cell phone rang. It startled them both so badly that they jumped back guiltily. Alex didn't know what to do – so he let go of her hands so she could answer the phone.

"It was Julie," Kate said with a sad smile as soon as she ended the call. The spell was effectively broken. They were both clearly embarrassed. "She wants to know where we're at."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate sat in the club fuming. Well, fuming and drinking. She was as pissed as she had ever been in her whole life. How could this night have gone from the very best night of her life – to this – inside of two hours? She wasn't really mad at anyone – except herself – oh, and the world. Especially Julie wasn't her favorite person at the moment. But she knew. She couldn't blame Julie – not really. This was completely her fault. She was a total chicken-shit. She should have told him. Damn it, she shouldn't have had to tell him. He should have known. Okay, so Elise said that she couldn't expect him to pick up on her signals – but how more plain could she be? Did he want blazing letters in the sky? Is that what he expected? Blazing letters spelling out "I love you, Alex?"

Then she quickly felt guilty. This wasn't really Alex's fault. After all, he had been simply perfect all night. His only crime had been to make her fall in love with him. This was her fault. She is the one who suggested coming to the damn club. She was the one who bragged about how good of a wingman she could be. She could be home cuddling with him right now – if she wasn't such a damn chicken-shit.

And of course, it turned out that Alex didn't even need a wingman. He was doing fine all on his own. There were times when Kate hated being right. And this was clearly one of them. But it was plain that now the women were pursuing Alex. Why should that be any surprise? After all, what woman wouldn't want a cute, sexy, sensitive, funny, did I mention sexy, guy? But there he was – out there on the dance floor with that slut Amy. Okay, maybe that was a little unfair. She seemed nice enough – for someone who was clearly on the prowl. What was up with that neckline? Okay, so Amy has boobs. Did that mean that we had to see them? Right now – to Kate – Amy was Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles_, _the devil – all rolled into one slutty package. Okay, so Alex looked uncomfortable. That was the only remotely good thing about the current situation. She saw the glances that he kept sneaking at her. Was he actually worried about her? That's all she needed - for him to rub it in some more by being even more sweet.

And to top off the evening, the uncoronated queen of one night stands, Julie had to try and fix her up. That's all she needed. Now here was God's personal gift to women everywhere, Hunter – permanently attached to her hip – like a fucking cold sore. Of course his name had to be Hunter. That was just perfect. After all, he was the hunter. And she was the prey.

"Chicken-shit," she mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?" Hunter asked. "Did you say something?"

"Not really," Kate said.

"Would you like another drink?" Hunter asked.

"Why not?" Kate said. That was the one good thing about Hunter. He kept the drinks coming. Those Slow Beach Screw things were starting to go down easy. Oh, she knew what his plan was. She was on to him, all right. Aunt Elise – no wait – just plain Elise had warned her about guys like Hunter. But she wasn't going to let him get her drunk. Not tonight. Although she was starting to feel a little numb. It felt good.

Finally, Alex was back at the table, cute as ever. Now, there could be no mistaking the concern on his face. "Come on, Kate," he said. "I think that it's time that we got you home."

Kate sighed. Thank God. This was finally over. She was going to take him home – and tell him. If he left her apartment tonight, it was going to be over her dead body.

"Relax," Hunter said. "We just ordered another drink."

"Yeah," Alex said. "I think she's had enough tonight. Come on Kate. Can you walk?"

x-x-x-x-x

Kate pounded on the door. It was quite a while before he answered. "Katie," he said as soon as he opened the door. "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Casey," Kate said. "I'm so sorry to bother you. But can you come over and look at Alex? I think maybe I should take him to the Emergency Room."

"What happened?" Casey asked in concern.

"He got into a fight," Kate said.

When Casey walked into Kate's apartment, he saw Alex sitting on the sofa holding a bag of ice on his eye. "Hey, son," he said. "What happened to your eye? Kate said that you got into a fight."

"I used my eye to keep a fist from going through my head," Alex said as he took off the ice. "I'm so sorry to bother you. I told Kate that I'm fine. It wasn't much of a fight. More like a beating. I do think that I was able to bruise his knuckles with my eye. That'll teach him a lesson."

Casey laughed. If he was able to make a joke, he couldn't be hurt too badly. But the eye looked a mess. It was nearly swollen shut.

"There were three of them." Kate said. "He was trying to protect me." She didn't know why she said that. But Alex was being modest. She wanted her Uncle Casey to know how courageous Alex had been tonight. She knew how much that would mean to him. "Do you think I should take him in?"

"I've seen worse," Casey said with a grin. "I have some pills for him to take for the pain. They'll knock him out for six hours. So where ever he is when he takes them is where he is for the night."

"Thank you, sir," Alex said. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you."

Uncle Casey was clearly impressed. "Son," he said with a sad smile. "If you took on three guys to protect my Katie, it's me that should be thanking you. Keep some ice on that eye."

x-x-x-x-x

"Come on, Kate," Alex said. "I'm okay. Really. I can go home."

"No way," Kate snapped. "You heard him. You took the pills. You are going to be out for six hours. Come on. Let's get you into bed."

"Katie," Alex said softly. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm mad," Kate said. "Of course I'm mad. But not at you. Come on, Alex – how can you think that? What did you do? Just be a hero and get your ass kicked by three guys trying to protect me? All because I'm a… Look, this is my fault - all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"Please don't say you're sorry," Alex said. "Please. I'm not sorry at all. This was probably the best night of my life. I had a great time. I was with you. If I could do it all over again tomorrow – if I could come over and have pizza with you and laugh and talk – and the only price I had to pay was to fight three guys – that would be a great deal."

Kate felt the tears quickly filling her eyes. She was having a tough time keeping her lip from quivering. What was she waiting for? How could he possibly be so perfect?

"But can we not go to that club anymore?" Alex asked softly. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to find a different way to make a fool of myself."

Kate was forced to laugh through the tears that were filling her eyes. Even in this awful situation – he could still make her laugh. He was still thinking about her. "Let's get you ready for bed," she said.

"I am ready," Alex said. "Throw me a pillow. I'll sleep here on the sofa."

"No way," Kate said as she pulled him to his feet and into the bedroom. She started to unbutton his shirt.

Alex could feel the drug starting to make him woozy. "I can undress myself," he said with a smile. "I learned when I was three."

But Kate just kept working. Finally she had him down to his boxers. She helped him get under the covers. She then put her head on the pillow and stayed on top on the covers next to him. She looked at him silently for a moment… and then she leaned over and kissed him. The kiss lasted for a long moment. It wasn't the electric sexual kisses of yesterday – at all. This was much more soft and affectionate – intimate - loving.

Alex just smiled. "What was that for?" he asked groggily. "Not that I'm complaining."

Kate tried to smile – she just couldn't quite pull it off. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I got jealous and drunk and got your ass kicked by three guys because you were trying to protect me. That's the biggest thing that anyone has ever done for me in my whole life. Thank you. I promise. I'll find a way to make this up to you."

Alex could feel the cloud of darkness starting to overcome him. "Katie," he said haltingly. "Don't feel bad. This is not your fault. It's mine. Senator Casey was right. I should have told you. You deserve to know."

Kate knew that if she looked at him, she would break down. Her eyes were threatening to overflow as it was. There was no way that Alex was taking any blame – for anything. So she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. "Alex," she said softly. "I have to tell you something."

Kate took Alex's silence to mean that she should continue.

"Tonight was torture for me," Kate said. Her voice was now almost reduced to a whisper. "I just can't watch you with other women any more. We had such a good time tonight. It was the very best night of my life. I should have told you then. But then we went to that stupid club – and it was horrible. So I was thinking, why can't we do this every night?"

Alex still didn't respond.

"Here's the thing," Kate said. "Alex, I'm in love with you. I've never felt this way before." She finally rolled over to face him. "How do you feel?"

Alex's only response was a snore. He was fast asleep.

Kate finally found her smile – through her tears. After all, she had a pretty good idea what Aunt Janice had wanted him to tell her. She could forgive him for having a hard time saying it. It was the exact same thing that she had been struggling to tell him. Besides, his soft snoring was so unbelievably adorable. His poor eye. Why would he take such a beating for her? But then she grinned as she answered her own question. And, he already said it – he would gladly take another one tomorrow.

Kate just took his hand and held it while she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful – so relaxed – so perfect. How could she possibly be this sure? After all, she had known him for less than a month. But she knew. Mom had told her in Vegas – when she found the one, she would just know. She didn't understand Mom then – but she sure did now. She didn't know how she knew – she just did. So she leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Alex," she whispered. "Tomorrow, I'm going to tell you when you're awake." She reached down and gently bushed the hair away from his eyes. "You're the one."

x-x-x-x-x


	10. Taking It Slow

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_The bad guys start to get desperate. Desperate people sometimes make mistakes. And Team B has more resources than the bad guys realize._

_Warning: There is a mild love scene in this chapter. It's nothing too explicit – certainly not close to the edge for a T story. But, if you're squeamish about such things – or you don't want to read about Sarah and Shaw… Come on guys – just kidding, lol. One thing you'll never read in a BillAtWork story is a Sarah / Shaw love scene. Unless it was a dream. Hmmm. Maybe a dream…_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Taking It Slow**

x-x-x-x-x

"Sonofabitch," he yelled in frustration. "You have got to be kidding me. She has a new boyfriend already? She's with somebody for five years. Then one day after he dumps her, she's got somebody new?"

"Yes, sir, it looks like it. He spent the night at her place. He's there right now."

"Are we sure this isn't just a rebound, one-night-stand?" he asked. "After all, we're trying to turn her into a party girl. Maybe it was easier than we thought."

"It's possible. But it doesn't seem too likely, given their profiles."

"This is a nightmare," he sighed. "An absolute freaking nightmare. Okay, this new guy – what do we have on him?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid. He works for the National Party. Center-Right politically. Apparently never had a serious girlfriend before. Zero criminal record – not even a traffic ticket. He's pretty dedicated to her. He fought off three guys last night."

"Great," he muttered. "A real fucking Boy Scout. Can he be seduced?"

"We'll try, sir. But have you seen her? If you were sleeping with her regularly, would you be a candidate to be seduced?"

"Seduced doesn't necessarily mean sex," he said like he was lecturing a third grader. "There is always money – power – fame."

"Yes, sir. We'll give all of those a try."

"Do that," he said. "If that doesn't work – we'll have to try something more… messy."

"Yes, sir, this Kate Bartowski is turning out to be a real pain in the ass."

"Why should that be a surprise?" he asked sarcastically. "It's in her genes."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex felt like he was floating on a cloud. He really didn't want to wake up. Whatever Colonel Casey had given him – wow – it was sure effective. He hadn't moved a muscle all night. But finally he woke up enough to notice that he wasn't alone. He must have moved some muscles because he was actually spooned into Kate. He could feel her soft rhythmic breathing as she slept. Alex suddenly noticed how Kate was dressed and became wide awake. She was wearing some sort of t-shirt. It felt silky against his chest. It had either ridden up or was short because his hand was resting on her bare stomach. Alex was afraid to know what else she was wearing – and he was far too nervous to reach his hand down to feel. Her legs felt bare as they touched his. His mind flashed back to the other night when Kate passed out. He got a brief glimpse of her panties when he was putting her to bed. He really tried not to look – but… wow. Her hand was lying on top of his firmly holding him close to her. His face was buried in her hair. Whatever shampoo she used - it smelled so… wonderful.

Kate felt Alex stirring. When she got into bed with him last night, she knew exactly what she was doing. She had this all planned out. Kate knew that the way she was dressed wasn't really playing fair. Tough. She was done playing fair. This stupid dance between them had gone on long enough. It simply had to end.

Kate really hoped that she could get Alex to make the first move this morning. For one thing, it would be good for him. He really needed to take a chance – and be rewarded. So, she was ready to do whatever it took to encourage him. And if that meant getting mostly naked and teasing him with the prospect of sex – okay. But one thing was for sure – she loved him. If there had been any shred of a doubt, it was answered last night when he threw himself at Hunter and his two friends. And she wasn't losing him to some slut like Amy, who was willing to shove her boobs in his face, without a fight. He wasn't getting out of this bed without either him telling her that he loved her – or telling her that he wasn't interested. And so far the plan seemed to be working – at least the prospect of sex part. She could clearly feel his… umm… growing excitement.

Kate rolled over on her back and stretched her arms over her head. She knew full well what that would do to her t-shirt. "It's too early," she moaned. And, indeed, the clock on the nightstand flashed a little past four. This was actually a little earlier than her original plan. But like Uncle Casey always said – there was enough time to sleep after you were dead. "Go back to sleep."

Currently, there were a lot of things that Alex could think of doing – but going back to sleep certainly wasn't anywhere on the list. When Kate rolled over, it caused their hands to drift down a bit. There now could be no doubt that Kate was, indeed, only wearing her tiny cotton panties. Alex really couldn't move his hand. Kate was holding it into place. But it was clearly into dangerous territory. Just a couple more inches and he could… Well actually, he was paralyzed anyway. All he could think of was how good she felt.

After a moment, Kate rolled over to face him. "Hey," she said softly. "Is your eye feeling better?" Actually, it looked a lot better. The swelling was completely gone. He still was going to have somewhat of a black eye – but not too bad. But right now, the eye wasn't that important. She knew that her shirt had ridden up dangerously close to – well, the point of no longer being relevant. It didn't really matter. She had no intention of wearing it much longer anyway.

"Yes," Alex whispered. Kate had taken her hand off his when she rolled over onto her side. Now his hand was resting on her hip. His fingers were resting on the top of her thigh. He knew that he should move his hand, this was far too intimate - but he was still paralyzed. Their lips were very close to touching.

Kate knew that she had him right where she wanted him. He couldn't move. Of course, she also was getting incredibly turned on. She wanted to start ripping his clothes off. It would be easy, he was only wearing boxers. She knew that this had to be over very, very soon – for both of their sakes. So she put her sexiest school girl pout on her face. It was time to move in for the kill. "Alex," she said. "Please be honest. What did Senator Casey want you to tell me?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah had finally made it back to their hotel room. It had been a very long night – for both of them.

"At least now, we know," Chuck said.

"Yeah," Sarah replied tiredly. "I don't think there is any doubt. I've been an agent for thirty years – and that's the worst that a mark has ever acted."

"Yup," Chuck said soothingly. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Was it as bad as it sounded?"

"It was bad," Sarah sighed. "You should have let me shoot Shaw in the head like I wanted."

"I know," Chuck said. "But then we wouldn't know what they have in mind. Of course, we still don't."

"I'm going to take a shower," Sarah said. "Maybe I can scrub off some of those fingerprints. What do you think we should do?"

"I'm not sure," Chuck said. "I don't think we have many options. I really don't think there is any DeVan. The intersect has never heard of him. And Beckman told us that the fake update doesn't have any new information – so I think we can safely say that he either doesn't exist – or, even if he does, we can't ID him. Asimov clearly knows what's going on. He is going to see how many times he can play you into bed and how many positions. It's probably designed to make me even more jealous. He knows that I'm listening."

Sarah looked carefully at Chuck. "Are you jealous?" she asked. "That was worse than it's ever been. It was far more than you should be expected to take. I'm so sorry."

"Why should you be sorry?" Chuck asked softly as he put his arm around her. "Of course, I hated that. But you did too."

"I don't know," Sarah sighed. "I just am. I hate this business. If I had never dragged you into it…"

"Then we wouldn't be together," Chuck quickly interrupted. "Trust me, Sarah. We've been all though this more times than I can count. This is not your fault. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Sarah just snuggled into Chuck's side. He always knew what to say – or not say. "Thank you, sweetie," she said. "Me either. What do you think we should do?"

Chuck thought for a moment. "I think maybe we should just lay low for a few days. We'll have you avoid Asimov until we can figure something out. We'll just hang out in the room."

"Great," Sarah said. "It'll be like a second honeymoon. We'll order room service and scr…"

"Yeah," Chuck interrupted with a grin. "I actually get the concept of a second honeymoon."

x-x-x-x-x

Okay, there it was. Kate had gone as far as she could. If he couldn't say it now, she'd have to take the lead. That would be a little disappointing. But either way, this was getting resolved in the next few minutes. She was on fire.

Alex sighed. "I'll tell you," he said. "But, Kate – we're friends, right?"

"Of course," Kate said.

"I mean honest, close, life-long friends," Alex said. "I'd hate for anything to ruin that."

_Come on Alex. Would I be lying here naked next to you if…_ "Okay," she said. "Duly noted. But please don't worry about that. We're all that and more. I don't think there is anything that could ruin what we have."

Alex took a deep breath. "Senator Casey wants me to tell you that I'm head over heels in love with you," he said. "She told me to ask you how you feel. That, at least, then I would know."

Kate's heart soared. It was all she could do to not get up and dance around the room. He said it. No, wait, he almost said it… but not quite. "Well," she said.

"Well?" Alex repeated in confusion.

"Come on silly," Kate said with a smile. "Are you going to take her advice? She's a pretty smart lady. She's going to be President. I think that she's absolutely right. Then, at least, you'll know."

Alex smiled back. "You're really going to make me say it," he said. "Aren't you?"

Kate touched her forehead to his. "Alex," she said. "Look, I know that you're shy. It's so incredibly cute. I know that this is hard for you to say. I'm trying to make it as easy for you as I can. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm lying here almost naked. And if you can't go first, I'll understand. I think I already know. But, yes, it would make me very, very happy to hear you say it."

Alex got quiet for a moment. "Kate," he finally said. "I should have already told you this. But I was too afraid to mess up the special thing that we have. That was stupid. I'm really sorry. So here it is. I love you. I think that you're pretty much perfect. I know that you're completely out of my league. But I'm head over heels in love with you. How do you feel? Is there any chance for me – for us?"

Kate had to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "There is an excellent chance for us."

"Wait a minute," Alex said. "You made me say it. It seems only fair…"

Kate grinned again. "Fair enough," she said. "Yes, Alex, I'm head over heels in love with you too. I've never felt this way before. But this is going to be complicated. Do you think we could take it slow?"

Alex's face fell – a little. Taking it slow was code for she wasn't sure. "We can take it as slow as you need," he said. "I understand that you just got out of a long term relationship. But I hope that you understand something. I'm sure now. I'm always going to want to move to the next level. I hope you can have patience with me."

Kate's grin widened. "That's sweet," she said. "But I think that you misunderstood me. You're the one. I'm sure now too. By slow, I meant this morning. It's going to be our first time. I want it to be so perfect for you. Can we take it slow?"

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay," he said with a grin of his own. "I get it. You're teasing me. That's the way it's going to be huh? Fine, I can play."

Kate touched her lips to Alex's. The electricity jumped off their lips. Quickly the kissing escalated until their tongues were hungrily dancing. Alex was so cute. He clearly was hesitant to be aggressive. He reached for the hem of her t-shirt – but paused before lifting it over her head. So finally Kate just lifted her arms in a clear signal. Fortunately, neither was wearing much in the way of clothes. So it didn't take long before Alex's boxers and Kate's shirt and panties were lying on the floor. "I'm sorry that I teased you," Kate said with a grin when the latest kiss broke. "I was serious when I said that I love you. And I do want our first time to be perfect for you. But we don't have to go quite this slow."

Alex's grin changed. It almost looked sly. He grabbed Kate and rolled her onto her back – so that he was on top of her. "Let this be a lesson," he whispered between kisses. "Be careful what you ask for. This is a big step. Are you completely sure about this?"

Kate suddenly realized – Alex wasn't being hesitant. He was getting his revenge for her teasing him. Okay, so he had clearly won this round. It was time to surrender – live to fight another day – oh, and put out this raging fire that was presently consuming her. "Alex," she whispered. "I've never been so sure of anything in my whole life. I'm very sorry that I teased you – but please don't make me wait any longer."

Then suddenly it happened. They were one - very softly at first – but slowing gaining intensity. Alex was no longer teasing her – he had taken charge and was gently leading her. Kate had never felt anything like this in her life. It was so intense that she couldn't even describe the feeling. She was completely consumed by the fog. All she could do was lie there helplessly and try to move her hips to match his ever more urgent rhythm. Any coherent thought was driven out of her head as she completely surrendered to the intensity of the fire. And when her moment finally came, she lost all control. She was completely consumed by the wave after wave of pleasure that was hitting her. She didn't even know how long it lasted – but when it was finally over, all she could do was wrap her arms around his neck, hold on for dear life, and whisper, "I love you." And naturally, she heard it back – many times. That was quite possibly the very best part.

So much for taking it slow – maybe next time...

x-x-x-x-x

Elise had just dropped off Robbie at the airport. Naturally, he was pretty excited. Of course he had flown before – but never by himself. And that wasn't the only reason Robbie was excited. He worshiped his dad. And he was going to be helping him in the business. It was a right of passage sort of thing. And to be honest, Joe was more excited than Robbie was.

Actually, there was no need for Robbie to make this trip. The work had gone much smoother than expected and everything was basically done. There was the grand opening tonight – but the local manager was now doing most of the planning. But the honest truth was – Joe wanted to spend some time with his son. That's why Elise decided not to go to the grand opening. This would be the first one that she missed – but they needed this chance to be alone together. The two main men in her life off on their own for a few days. Elise was excited – for both of them.

Sure Elise was nervous. But what could go wrong? It was a direct flight to Denver. Joe was going to be standing there waiting for him. Robbie would be in Denver almost before Elise would make it back home.

When Elise finally got back home, she threw her keys on the kitchen table and sighed. Traffic had been murder. That's what a simple fender bender would do to the freeway. But at least, she could relax and make herself a cup of tea.

That's when she noticed the shadow. Elise hadn't been an agent for twenty years. And even when she was, she hated guns. So it wasn't surprising that she didn't carry one now. But she had a drawer full of knives. So she grabbed the biggest one that she could find and went out to investigate.

He was sitting calmly on the sofa, waiting for her. "Hello, Agent Walters," he said. "It's nice to see you. You're looking particularly lovely."

"Who are you?" Elise said as she brandished the knife. "I don't know any Agent Walters."

"Come now, Agent Walters," the man said. "Please put down the knife. It's rude. We both know that you're not going to use it."

"Get the hell out of here," Elise said. "Or I'm calling the police."

"I don't think so," the man said. "May I call you Elise?"

Without waiting for a response, the man continued. "He's a very nice looking boy you have, Elise. Very nice looking. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him. But Denver is a very violent city. I'm sure that you're concerned."

Elise's blood ran cold. The knife dropped out of her hand and to the floor with a clang. "If you touch him," she said with her voice shaking with anger. "If you touch a hair on his head…"

The man just smiled. "Again with the rudeness, Elise?" he asked sarcastically. "Please save the ridiculous threats. You don't even know who we are. You wouldn't know where to begin to look for us."

"What do you want?" Elise asked.

"Do you know what would be awful?" the man asked, ignoring Elise's question. "Just having a child disappear without a trace. That has to be a parent's worst nightmare. Don't you agree?"

"What do you want?" Elise asked with tears now filling her eyes.

"I mean the not knowing," the man said. "Is he alive? Did he suffer? That has to be the worst. I hope that never happens to you. It sounds horrible."

Now Elise was sobbing. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Relax, Elise," the man said. "This can have a happy ending. We just need your assistance with a small matter. It's simple really. It seems that Kate Bartowski considers you somewhat of a mentor. We'd like her to do some things for us – and she has been somewhat resistant. We'd like you to use your power of persuasion to convince her to perhaps see things our way. Just make a few phone calls, follow our instruction to the letter, and this is all over."

Elise tried to compose herself. "And that's it?" she asked. "What do you want from Kate?"

"We think she is far to reserved," he said. "A beautiful girl like that. She should experience life. Party a little. Get a little wild."

"You're trying to use Kate against Janice," Elise whispered – far more to herself than to this creep. "So, this is all over politics? You would kidnap a beautiful boy - ruin a beautiful young girl's life – all for politics?"

"More rudeness, Elise?" he asked. "We are going to have to work on your manners. What can I say? We don't think that Senator Casey would make a very good president. Besides, getting a little wild might be a good thing for young Kate. It didn't ruin your life, did it? Now are you in – or not?"

"Let me get this straight," Elise said. "All I have to do is make some phone calls?"

"Pretty much," the man said. "There is one more minor task. You'll need to wear this wire all the time. It has a bio-sensor so we'll know the instant that you take it off. We'll be monitoring your cell phone and computers. If you attempt to contact anyone…"

"I have to check on the Bartowski teens," Elise said. "The parents are expecting an email from me every day. If they don't get one…"

"Of course they are expecting it," he said. "And they'll get one. We wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious. Naturally, we'll be monitoring it. It's important that you go check on them once a day at noon. Of course, we'll be listening. It would be a shame to endanger them. Oh, by the way, the parents are in France. I'm afraid they won't be coming home again. Any questions?"

Elise just shook her head.

"Excellent," he said. "We'll send you instructions over the next few days. Oh, about that last minor task. You were rude to me earlier. Very rude. I actually have a couple of hours to spare. We have an empty house. Seems like a perfect opportunity to work on your manners. I think that maybe you should think of something to apologize to me. Perhaps some gesture to prove that we're friends. Don't you agree?"

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was sitting in her office. Well, technically she was sitting. She wasn't sure that her butt was actually touching the chair. It felt more like she was floating. She had never felt so good in her life. And the best part was that she got to tell Julie to back off. Julie was even happy for them – at least she pretended to be. Of course she wasn't going to be very happy when Uncle Casey asked her to introduce him to Hunter. Kate had never seen him quite so pissed. That might be fun.

Of course, when she said 'the best part', she meant the best part of the work day. Clearly the real best part was her morning with Alex. She had never, never, ever come close to feeling like that. Sure, Kate wasn't an expert. After all, she had now slept with a grand total of two men. But based on her small sample size, Alex was clearly in the major leagues. And she could tell that Alex felt the same way. And it was more than the sex. Oh, make no mistake - the sex was out of this world great. But the cuddling between and after was probably even better. It was something that she never got to do.

And the very, very real best part was that they were going to go home tonight and do it all over again. And they could now spend the whole night – and every night - together.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was on pins and needles. He was sure this was a game of some kind. Why else would Aunt Elise hand him a note that told him to say nothing, wait for two hours, and then open and read it when he was sure that nobody was watching. But he did. After all, he liked games. He even went down to the safe room before he unfolded the note. After all, Mom always told him that room was secure, whatever that meant. The cast on his hand made it a little hard to actually get it open without tearing it. Aunt Elise had really folded it tight. But he finally got it. His eyes widened as he read the hand written note.

_Sparky,_

_I promise - this is not a joke. It is deadly serious. I'll explain later but this is life or death. The lives of every single person that you love depend on you following these instructions to the exact letter._

**_DO NOT CONTACT ME. I'M BEING WATCHED._**

_Sweetie, don't be afraid – but these men are ruthless. I'm depending on you. You can call no one. They are almost certainly listening. There is only one person who can help._

_Wait until dark. Take your mom's car and your brother. **Tell no one!** Leave your cell phones behind. Use only cash. Assume you're being followed. You have to be back by tomorrow at noon. Drive as fast as you possibly can to this address…_

x-x-x-x-x


	11. Joy Ride

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay - The bad guys have made their fatal mistake. They have completely underestimated how close Team B is and what they would do for each other. And now Team B has a second generation._

_The scariest thing that you will ever do is tell someone that you love them – and mean it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Joy Ride**

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce turned to Chuck Junior in horror. "Why do I have to drive?" he asked in a panic. "I promised Mom. You know what she's like when she thinks that you lied to her."

Chuck Junior just held up his hand with the cast. "Think about it, moron," he said. "This is a manual transmission. How can I drive and shift with one hand? Don't worry about Mom. I'm pretty sure she'll understand. Now, Aunt Elise says that we have to drive as fast as we possibly can. I think she wants us to lose whoever is following us."

Fortunately, Bryce had already learned to drive a manual transmission. He didn't want Mom to have that as an excuse why he couldn't drive the Porsche. And, he had to admit, this is something that he had been looking forward to – since he was old enough to know what a Porsche was. He was something of an expert in the Grand Theft Auto type of video games – so he had driven Mom's car virtually hundreds of times. Now it was finally time for the real thing. "As fast as we possibly can," he said with a grin. "I think that I might be able to accommodate you."

"Umm," Chuck Junior said. "Just so you know – I'm pretty sure that Mom will understand about us taking her car. I'll have your back when we talk to her about it. I'm pretty sure that Aunt Elise will stick up for us. But scratch it – and you're on your own."

x-x-x-x-x

"You did what?" he asked in horror. "Putting Walters in a corner was a last resort."

"I'm sorry, sir. Our man in Los Angeles misunderstood. He moved this afternoon."

"Shit," he sighed. "That means we're time crunched. Now we need a tape by next week. Once Agent West gets back home from Denver, the jig is up. Damn that Shaw. His revenge crap is messing us up. Now we have no choice."

"I don't understand, sir. Why don't we just grab Bartowski or maybe the new boyfriend and force her to make a tape?"

He looked dejectedly at the room. He was surrounded by morons. Were these guys all really this thick? "It doesn't work that way," he sighed. "I'll explain this one last time. I'll speak really slowly so that you might understand. If we do anything overt, we'll draw attention to ourselves. That's the last thing that we can do. If we were to kidnap or kill anybody as famous as Senator Casey or Kate Bartowski, the press would be all over it. They would eventually find us out. That's why we picked Robbie West. He's not famous. Twelve year old boys disappear all the time. Nobody would tie the two things together. As long as we keep Walters contained, by the time she could tip Casey off, it would be too late. Now we're committed. If we don't have something soon, we'll have to abort and start cleaning this up… and that will get… messy. I suppose that as long as Walters can't ID us, there will be no need to actually kill her."

He quickly looked around the room to insure that he had their undivided attention. Satisfied that he did, he continued. "What we need is for Bartowski to compromise herself in some way that Senator Casey will want to keep quiet – enough that she will quietly withdraw. A sex tape would work - or maybe a tape of her taking drugs. But we need something that we can deliver anonymously. Then we can trade that for her withdrawal without exposing our identity. If Casey finds out our identity, we're in big trouble. We're not powerful enough to fight her directly. We can quietly encourage Bartowski to help us – but we can't force her. If we aren't careful, this could completely backfire. It could generate a lot of sympathy for her. It could guarantee her the presidency. That's why Bartowski has to be willing. I never dreamed in a million years that she would be so tough to break. This is our last chance. Bartowski obviously idolizes Walters as a role model. Hopefully, Walters can talk her into experimenting a little."

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me," he said. "Is Walters going to cooperate?"

"Yes, sir. No problem there. Our man said that she was blubbering like a little girl. He put her through a little impromptu loyalty test. She passed with flying colors. She is completely broken. She'll do anything to protect her son."

"Good," he said. "Make sure to monitor her closely. If she is able to tip anyone off, we're in big trouble. Anonymity is our main weapon. Without it, we're dead."

"Yes, sir. Let's face it – she never was a good agent. And now she really doesn't have any options except give us what we want and hope that we go away. Her husband is in Denver. The Bartowski's are in France. And the Casey's are in Washington. If she can't use the phone or computer, she's effectively isolated. She has no one that she can turn too."

"We're going to have to move quickly on this new boyfriend," he said. "We no longer have any time to be subtle."

"Yes, sir, I've already taken care of that. Our gal is going to put on the full court press. She already has a lunch date with him. There is one other thing. The Bartowski boys took their mother's car out for a little joy ride."

That actually got a smile - the first one of the day. "Let me guess," he said. "Two teenage boys with a hot chick-magnet car – where would they go?"

"Yes, sir, exactly. We followed then to I-15 but then we lost them. That Porsche is way to fast to keep up with. Should we try and pick them up in Vegas?"

"No," he said with a laugh. "Let them have their fun. It keeps them out of our hair. They'll be back by tomorrow's check in. If they're not, then we'll look for them."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Bartowski was learning that the excitement of driving a hot car was quickly fading. After all, in the flat straight desert, there wasn't much advantage to a high performance car – except that you could go faster. But even that was deceiving. It didn't feel like you were going that fast. They were flying down I-15 at about a hundred and ten. But it felt more like sixty. And besides – this wasn't a joy ride. "What do you think that this is about?" he finally asked.

It took Chuck Junior a long time to respond. He was clearly deep in his own thought. "I don't know," he said. "But it's something big. Aunt Elise's note says Life or Death. She wouldn't use that phrase lightly."

Bryce turned to his brother. There was something that had always bothered him. "What does dad do for a living?" he asked. "Do you think this has something to do with that?"

Chuck Junior winced. Bryce had just brought up the pink elephant in the room that the kids never talked about. "I don't know," he finally replied. "Could be. Whenever you ask him or Mom, they change the subject. Whatever it is, it's what I want to do. He hardly ever works and we're pretty well off. Mom gets a new hundred grand sports car every year that she hardly ever drives."

"Do you think that it's something illegal?" Bryce asked softly.

Now, Chuck Junior really winced. It was the same question that he had so often asked himself when he was growing up. He couldn't bear the thought of his dad… he'd almost rather not know. "I don't know," was all he could get out. "I hope not. Dad doesn't seem the type of person who would be into something illegal."

"Why is he surrounded by all of these beautiful women?" Bryce asked. "I mean, there's Aunt Elise, Mom, Aunt Janice – not to mention Aunt Ellie. Remember that Carina woman? You've seen the pictures of them twenty years ago. Sparky, do you think that Dad is a pimp?"

Chuck Junior smiled. "No," he said. "I don't think he's a pimp. That doesn't explain the workout room and shooting range. Besides – are you saying that Mom's a…"

"Of course not," Bryce said quickly. "Please don't ever tell her that I said that. It would kill her. But something is up."

"Don't worry," Chuck Junior said with a smile. "Like I would tell Mom that we were thinking that she might be a hooker. Do I look suicidal to you? I'm thinking that it is more likely something to do with the military. Uncle Casey is a Colonel. Grandma Beckman is a General. Have you ever seen Mom and Aunt Janice wrestle? They look like two ninjas going at it."

"Hopefully, we'll find out tonight," Bryce said with a sad sigh. "I just hope that I'm not disappointed."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were well into the first day of their impromptu second honeymoon – courtesy of Director Shaw.

"This is nice," Chuck said as he handed Sarah a strawberry. They had just ordered strawberries and champagne from room service and were sitting in the hot tub.

"It's very nice," Sarah said as she leaned over to gently kiss him. Quickly the kiss turned into several kisses – each one lasting a little longer.

"I wonder what the boys are doing," Chuck said with a smile when the last kiss finally broke.

"Wow," Sarah said with a smile. "I thought you were going for some serious romance. I have to tell you, I've heard better seduction lines, Agent Carmichael."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said with his classic smile. "I'm not saying that being here with you is anything other than amazing. I just miss being home."

"I miss them too," Sarah said with a soft smile. "Does that make us officially old fuddy duddies? We can't even enjoy a second honeymoon?"

"Maybe," Chuck said with a sigh. "I prefer to think of it as our lives are so perfect that we don't need something fake like a second honeymoon. After all, we're still on our first honeymoon."

Sarah was having trouble blinking the tears out of her eyes – and was not really being totally successful. Leave it to Chuck. He had just summed up their life perfectly in a single sentence. He was exactly right. They were in the middle of a twenty-two year honeymoon – one that was showing no signs of slowing down. And sometimes she would forget how incredibly lucky she was. "Now see, Agent Carmichael," she finally whispered. "That was more like the type of smooth seduction line that I was expecting. It might be time to move this over to the bed – and let me remind you how very much I love you."

x-x-x-x-x

If Diane Beckman would ever admit any weakness to herself – and she never would - she would have admitted to being a little lonely. After all, she went from one of the most demanding jobs in the whole world, to retirement overnight. And that's one of the reasons that she moved to Vegas. Okay, so she told everybody that it was because of the weather. And that was partly true. But mostly it was to be closer to Janice and the family. And Vegas was the perfect location. It was only a three hour drive. But those three hours kept everybody from becoming a daily drain.

Not to mention the health issues. She didn't begin to realize how miserable your gall bladder could make you feel. And, while getting it removed was pretty major surgery for a person of her age, she was starting to feel a lot better – for the first time in almost a year.

She actually had mixed feelings about Janice winning her Senate race. Naturally, she was very proud. But now she was all the way back in Washington. The time zone difference was the worst. There was never a good time to talk. And Janice was her main connection to the kids.

So her heart was racing when she opened the door and saw Sparky and Bryce standing there. What a nice surprise. Wow, did they look great. They were officially all grown up. Bryce was turning into a very handsome man. And Sparky had been one for some time. They were both turning into real lady killers. She was more than a little surprised how much they had both matured. She talked to them pretty regularly – at least once a week. But there were some things that talking on the phone didn't do. It had been several months since she had actually seen them. The last time was at the lake.

"Hi, Grandma Beckman," Chuck Junior said as he hugged her. "I've really missed you."

It took a long time and a lot of negotiation for the kids to come up with the right name. At first, they called her ma'am. After all, so did everybody. Uncle Casey was Sir – and he was only a Colonel. A General had to be Ma'am, right? But she didn't want the kids calling her that. It was too cold and impersonal. For a long time, she couldn't bring herself to be called Grandma – Grandma anything. But she finally warmed up to the idea. The kids didn't have a real grandma. It was clear that they were as close to grandkids as she was ever going to get. And the simple truth was – she loved them more than she had ever loved anybody in her life – even if it did take her a long time to admit it. So now she was Grandma Beckman – and had been for a few years.

"Sparky," she said as she hugged them. "Bryce, it's so good to see you guys." But Sarah's Porsche sitting in the driveway told her immediately that this wasn't a social visit. Something else was clearly up.

And Sparky quickly confirmed her suspicions. "Grandma Beckman," he said. "We have a note for you from Aunt Elise. We think that she might be in big trouble."

Diane quickly had mixed feelings. She was much too old and experienced to be afraid. But Elise was the smartest agent that she had ever met – except for possibly Chuck, of course. For her to use the boys like this – something was seriously wrong. If it was something to do with Chuck and Sarah, she would have just called. On the other hand, she had to admit – it was nice to have a little excitement back in her life. So she just smiled and took the note that Sparky was holding out to her. "Come in guys," she said. "Let's take a look. There's soda in the refrigerator."

x-x-x-x-x

Janice had just gotten off the phone. One good thing, retirement hadn't blunted her mom's instincts. She was just as paranoid now as she ever had been. She still had a full regimen of secure communications gear. So there was absolutely no question but that their call was private. Casey always swept the apartment for bugs every morning – apparently she was surrounded by paranoid. But, at least she knew that this was secure.

Another thing that she knew – someone was about to die a slow and gruesome death. Janice was as furious as she had ever been in her entire life. Okay – she and Casey had enemies. Chuck and Sarah had enemies. Hell, even Elise and Joe had enemies. That's the world that they lived in. But to try and destroy Kate – the sweetest, most innocent girl in the whole world – well, they were going to pay. This was now war - total and complete war. No prisoners would be taken.

It took a long time before she could even speak, she was so furious. "Those bastards," she was finally able to shake out. "Those rotten bastards. When I'm president…"

Casey knew that he needed to settle her down a little. For one thing, they needed to think clearly. They couldn't afford rage leading them into any mistakes. So he put his arm around her. "Don't worry," he said softly. "We'll get them. I promise you – we'll get them. But we have to be smart."

Janice just nodded. Besides Chuck and Sarah, the only person that could settle her down was Casey. "I knew that I didn't trust that Julie," she said. "I should have listened to my instincts. So, she is the mole. Let's drag her into my office and kick the… well, the snot out of her until she talks."

"Maybe," Casey said. "I seriously doubt if she knows that much. Let's see what Chuck thinks. We need to get Chuck and Sarah up to speed. After all, they are the ones who are currently in the most danger."

"You're right," Janice said. "It's no secret that Joe is not my favorite person. But Mom said that, once she got him secure, his voice was shaking with anger. He'll make sure that Robbie is safe. We don't have to worry about him."

"Robbie is safe," Casey said firmly. "I know Joe pretty well. It would take a small army and a lot of body bags to lay a finger on Robbie at this point."

Janice just nodded – again. "At least Kate's safe," she sighed. "Those morons – they couldn't have possibly picked a worst target. Katie might look soft – but she's really tough as nails. She would never break."

"Is she safe?" Casey replied softly. "That Alex is over there with her right now. How much do we trust him?"

"We can trust Alex," Janice said. "I've talked to him for quite a long time. He loves her. I would bet my life on it."

Casey just smiled. "I think so too," he said. "I just wanted to hear you say it. That makes me feel a lot better. And that makes him a target. They will want to isolate her. They are going to try hard to separate them. Will he help us?"

"Alex is the one," Janice said with the first faint smile that she could manage. "Have you seen the way that they look at each other? It's almost as sickening as Chuck and Sarah. He is totally dedicated to her. He would do anything that Kate asked him - up to and including walking through hell. If I'm wrong about that – then I don't deserve to be president. Let's go talk to them."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was trying to find something on the television that was in English enough to find the hockey scores. It turned out that Chuck had become something of a fan. He wasn't a huge sports fan. Neither of the boys was either. And living in Southern California his whole life, Hockey isn't the sport that would immediately come to mind. Kate was actually the one who got him to go to his first game. Of course it was because she was fourteen and had a crush on the rookie defenseman. But Chuck quickly found that he enjoyed the rapid pace of the action. And the Kings were actually having a good year.

Naturally, Sarah expressed her normal reverence for anything involved with sports – she rolled her eyes whenever you mentioned it. They made a deal once. She would go to a Hockey game – if he would go with her to the Auto Show. Both quickly regretted it. Sarah had forgotten all about the leggy, skimpily dressed models at the Auto Show. And Chuck came to realize that most Hockey fans were men – and Sarah was a big hit. So now, Chuck just took Kate to the games – and Sarah took Elise to the Auto Show. Of course for the past few seasons, Kate was also turning into a big hit with the men. But it was one of those father / daughter bonding things that he was really missing. It was just another thing he was going to miss about her being gone.

Sarah was checking her emails. After all, there was the obligatory message from Elise every day that basically said that the house hadn't burnt down – yet.

"Damn," Chuck said as he threw down the remote in disgust. "I have to learn to speak French. Even the numbers are different. Maybe the intersect can teach me. What do you think?"

When Sarah didn't respond immediately, he turned to look at her for the first time. He could tell immediately by the look on her face that something was up. "Sarah?" he asked. She was looking at a spam email. "I don't think that really works," he joked. "Besides, you always said that size doesn't matter."

That didn't get the laugh from Sarah that he expected. She just jumped up. "Quiet," she whispered. Then she jumped up and swept the room for bugs. After a moment she determined that the room wasn't bugged and went back to the computer. "Get me a pad of paper and a pencil," she snapped.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked. When Sarah took that tone, something was wrong.

"This is from Casey," Sarah said. "It's in partner code."

"What is partner code?" Chuck asked.

"Back in the early days," Sarah said, "before you and I were together, Casey and I were worried that we might not be able to trust our superiors. We came up with this code so that we could talk privately, even if somebody was watching us. Only he and I know about it." As she scratched out the message on the pad of paper that Chuck had given her, her face got white. Finally, she handed the pad to Chuck.

_Urgent,_

_Bad guys trying to compromise Kate to get to Janice._

_Your mission is fake. You are to be killed._

_Elise is in corner – they are threatening Robbie._

_Nobody in imminent danger – except perhaps you. Be careful. Trust no one._

_Find secure phone and call me ASAP at…_

_Sorry to have interrupted whatever disgusting thing you two have going._

_Have a nice day._

Chuck sighed. "We'd better go buy a prepaid phone and call him," he said. "I can hear him saying I-told-you-so already."

Sarah was still laughing at Casey's closing jab. _Yeah, like he is really sorry. He lives for interrupting us._ "How about me?" she asked. "I told you so too."

x-x-x-x-x

This was, by far, the very best night of Kate Bartowski's young life. She never even knew that she could feel like this. Sure, the first time last night with Alex was exciting. But this was a totally different experience. She could now just – be with him – without worrying about all that other stuff. They could just be together. It made everything better.

It made their political discussions better. Alex knew what it took to succeed in politics inside and out. And he had this unique way of expressing his opinions but never seeming pushy. He totally respected that Kate was the chief strategist. So he always made sure that Kate understood his point – but always let it drop without any hint of pouting when she didn't agree. It was very refreshing to see – and a huge turn-on.

It definitely made their dancing better. It turned out that once Alex was comfortable – and nobody else was watching him, he was a pretty decent dancer. And since he knew how much she loved it, he was great at dancing with her. If she didn't know better, Kate would have sworn that he was having as much fun as she was. But she knew that he was doing it for her. That's just how sweet her new guy was. When they weren't dancing, they were belting out the words of the songs together. They got so silly that Kate's side was starting to hurt from giggling so much.

It most definitely made their love life better. Alex was still a little bashful about making the first move – but whenever she did, he more than enthusiastically participated. There would be no more manipulation required, that was for sure. He was gentle and loving. Indeed, in a way, the cuddling was the best part. That's what they were doing now, sitting on the couch cuddling. Well, maybe necking was a better word. After all, there was clearly some serious tongues dancing – and more than a little second base action happening. Indeed, it was very intense in its own way - but a different kind of intense. It was oh so slow and gentle – much more intimate. Alex was clearly willing to let the passion smolder and enjoy it as it slowly built. And he was, just as clearly, enjoying taking Kate with him to that height. Paul would never…

And that's when Kate decided. She would quit comparing Alex to Paul. For one thing, there was simply no comparison. For another, she was embarrassed that it had taken five years to figure this out. It was time to stop analyzing everything to death. He loved her. She loved him. This was simply too perfect to ruin by worrying about it. It was just time to enjoy it. For the first time really, she now understood what Mom was trying to tell her in Vegas.

So when there was a knock at the door, Kate groaned. She was so comfortable, the last thing that she wanted was to get up and answer the door. Maybe they would just go away. After all, who could it be? But the next knock was even louder and more insistent.

Alex was the first to move. "I'll get it," he said.

His look to Kate clearly reminded her – she needed to resituate her clothes. Indeed, she didn't quite have her bra back completely in place before Alex opened the door. Kate was actually annoyed when she saw Uncle Casey and Aunt Janice come into the room. _Come on guys, I don't bother you when you're necking._ Of course, there was that one time when she walked in on them at the lake. They were far, far more than just necking. _Really guys? The kitchen? We eat on that table._ But she had been trying real hard for years to get that image out of her head. So, she forced the smile on her face. "Hey," she said. "What's up?"

Janice flashed a quick smile to Casey. "See?" she said. "I told you. Almost as sickening as Chuck and Sarah." Then she turned back to Kate. "Hey guys," she said softly. "We have to talk."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise was afraid to read the note that Sparky had deftly slipped into her hand when she went for her daily check up. He was so adorable when he gave her hand a subtle – but very real squeeze. When had Sparky become a man? The last time she checked, he was an awkward teenager – and now here he was. It had happened right in front of her and she didn't even recognize it. He was clearly being protective of her. He was as worried about her as any other member of his family. After all, that's what she was – family. How sweet was that? And there were so many things that could go wrong. That's why she forced herself to wait until she was home – and in the bathroom. She breathed a silent but huge sigh of relief as she read the General's rather choppy handwriting.

_Elise,_

_Be assured – Joe is aware of the situation. He asked me to tell you that he will make sure Robbie is safe – and that he loves you very much. Chuck and Sarah are in route to Washington. Plot is bigger than originally anticipated. Your assignment is to make them believe that you are fully cooperating. Team is planning an offensive. Don't worry about Kate. She is aware. She is safe. Communicate cautiously through notes to Sparky._

_Chuck asked me to tell you to not worry. He has this one. I believe him. He sounded pissed. Will see you soon._

_Stay safe,_

_DB_

Elise knew that she had to be careful. After all, they were listening to her every sound. But crying was probably okay. They would interpret it as a mother worried sick about her baby boy. They would probably enjoy it. It would tell the bastards that she was mentally defeated. After all, that was the whole point of the humiliating session that she was forced into by that sick demented pervert. At least she knew beyond a doubt that Robbie was now safe. She knew her Joe. It was so sweet that he told Beckman to tell her that he loved her. He was clearly worried about her. But there was really no need. He would tear anybody apart with his bare hands that would even think about hurting his pride and joy. As long as Elise knew that, she was okay. Anything else could be dealt with.

So Elise felt good about sobbing in relief as she quietly ripped up the note – and flushed it down the toilet. Sparky and Bryce had just come through for her big time. More than that – they had saved the day. She knew how embarrassed the boys got when she hugged them – but tough. When this was over, they were each getting a big one – in front of their friends. That would get some tongues wagging for sure. Elise could now take a breath for the first time in over twenty-four hours. Chuck and Sarah were coming home. Casey and Janice were already there. Elise had a pretty good idea what Chuck had in mind. After all, she knew his style pretty well. All that Elise needed to do was to play her part in this little charade. She could do that. And it meant that some very bad guys were about to have a very, very bad day.

Elise never liked to see herself as a damsel in distress. For one thing, it was contrary to her training. After all, a spy was taught to protect her own self. But she couldn't wait for Chuck to introduce her big, strong, ex-agent husband to the sick puppy that had just threatened their son… and more. Talk about someone who was going to be having a bad day.

It served him right.

x-x-x-x-x


	12. Killer Sex

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_It's time for Team B to go on the attack – but Chuck and Sarah have some problems to solve. It's up to the rest of the team to keep the bad guys occupied until they can get there to help._

_The scariest thing that you will ever do is tell someone that you love them – and mean it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Killer Sex**

x-x-x-x-x

If Janice was mad when she heard about the plot to use Kate, Sarah was several times that. She was so furious that Chuck just wisely let her vent for a few minutes. She was throwing things around the room. Chuck himself had to duck more than once. But when she started throwing clothes in her suitcase, Chuck grabbed her hands.

"Sarah, wait," Chuck finally said gently. "I know that you're frantic right now. But we have some very real problems. We don't know who these guys are or what they really want. If we just show up back in Washington and kill Shaw, they'll realize that we're aware of what's going on. They'll just withdraw. Then, they'll come up with some other plan and have surprise back with them again. We need to draw them out – and then crush them."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Yes, I agree with all of that. But this is all happening in Washington. We have to be there as soon as possible. Katie…"

"Is safe," Chuck said softly. "Trust me. I'm just as protective of Kate as you are – probably more. She's my little girl. I can't bear the thought of anything happening to her any more than you can. But the simple truth is that she couldn't be in any better hands. Janice and Casey are right next door. They are itching to kill someone just as badly as you are. And they love her just as much as we do. Who would you trust more than them? We have to do this right."

"I understand," Sarah sighed. "Yes, Casey and Janice love her. They would do anything to protect her. I'm not questioning that. But I'm her mom. I just need to hold her."

"She sounded so sad when she told us about Paul," Chuck said.

For the first time, Sarah got the hint of a twinkle in her eye. "That wasn't what it sounded like," she said. "I don't think you caught what she was trying to say. I know her. She wasn't sad for herself. She was apologizing to you."

"Apologizing?" Chuck asked. "Why would she need to apologize to me?"

"Because she thinks that you like Paul," Sarah said. "She is feeling badly because she was afraid that she let you down. That you would be disappointed with her about Paul."

"Why on earth would she think that?" Chuck asked in amazement. "I just want Kate to be happy. I'm so pissed at Paul right now that I could strangle him."

"You don't know how much your little girl worships you," Sarah with a sad smile. "She has stayed with Paul for a long time because she thought that's what you would want."

"Sarah," Chuck said. "Come on. That's crazy. That makes me feel horrible. We included Paul into the family stuff because he was with Kate."

"I know," Sarah said. "But she thinks that you like him. She feels bad for you. I just figured that out when she was talking. I just want to get back there and meet this new guy."

"This new guy," Chuck said. "It's awfully fast. It kinda sounds like a rebound thing, doesn't it?"

Sarah just shook her head. "It's not a rebound thing," she said. "I'm sure of that. That's not Kate. Did you hear her voice change when she started telling us about him? He must be incredible. Kate was whispering and pretty excited so I'm not sure that I heard her right. But I think she said that he's the one. If that's true, then she'll want to get us to approve of him. I really want to meet him."

"Me too," Chuck smiled. "For Kate to fall that hard - that fast… he must really be special. Janice says they're as sickening together as you and I are. This I have to see. It's hard to imagine Kate acting like that. She's always so… reserved."

Sarah smiled knowingly. "Not really reserved," she said. "She just was never comfortable with PDA. Kind of like her father. And that should have been a bigger clue to us that Paul wasn't the right guy for her. But when you meet the right person…"

"Aren't you surprised about Paul?" Chuck asked with a sigh.

"I am," Sarah said thoughtfully. "But, then again, I'm really not. I could tell in Vegas that after our talk she was starting to look at him differently. I'm disappointed that he would cheat on her… and the thing with Elise… well that was just stupid. He deserved what she gave him – and more. If I ever get a shot at him…"

Chuck laughed. "I would have given a month's pay to see Elise kick his ass," he said. "I'll bet he never dreamed in a million years that was coming."

"Chuck Junior broke his hand," Sarah smiled. "Those two kids… they've always pretended that they can't stand each other. It's really funny. Well, when it's not annoying."

"You should have taught him to punch," Chuck said. "It might have come in handy."

"I never wanted the boys to have any part of this life," Sarah said. "But now that we have to tell them, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if they had some minimal skills."

"You are going to scare the crap out of them," Chuck said. "You scare me when we train."

"I know," Sarah said. "I get too intense. Maybe I'll ask Elise to work with them. I'll bet they'd enjoy that."

"Chuck Junior and Bryce are probably already freaked out right about now," Chuck said with a soft grin. "They have the secure phone that General Beckman gave them. You should call them for a minute. After all, they drove your car. They are probably imagining the guillotine cutting off their heads right about now."

Sarah sat for a moment and thought about her two sons. What the night they must have had. She was worried about them – but also unbelievably proud. "They really came through. Chuck, they saved the day. We'd be dead without them. Can you believe it?"

"Absolutely," Chuck said. "Elise used her head too. But I've never had any question about any of the kids. They are tough – like their mother."

"No," Sarah whispered with a soft smile. "They're smart like their dad." Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by the need to wrap her arms around them. That's when her eyes began to fill with tears. "Chuck," she whispered. "I want to go home."

"I know," Chuck said. "Me too - but we have to do it right."

"Okay, sweetie," Sarah sighed as she wiped her eyes. "Of course… you're right. Let's talk business. We've known about this plot for a whole ten minutes. You must have come up with a plan by now. Let's hear it."

Chuck grinned. "Well," he said. "It's clear. First, we have to end our mission. We need a legitimate reason to go back to Washington."

In spite of the situation, Sarah couldn't help but smile at Chuck's mood. "How are we going to do that?" she said. "Our mission is to find DeVan. He doesn't exist. Should we make someone up?"

"That wouldn't work," Chuck said. "Shaw knows that DeVan doesn't exist. No, the only way to end our mission believably is if something were to happen to our only contact. If Yuri Asimov were to die – we'd have no reason to be here."

Sarah's smile turned into a grin. "Thank you," she said. "I finally get to kill that sick bastard. Are you sure that this isn't just because of the other night?"

Chuck grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Two birds – one stone," he said. "You know how much that efficiency appeals to me."

"How should we do it?" Sarah asked with a laugh. "I could just shoot him."

"That's too obvious," Chuck said. "They would know that we'd figured him out. If we could get someone else to shoot him, that might work. But I don't know how to do that – and even if we could figure out a way, it would take too long. Besides, I'd really like to talk to this guy first. I bet he knows something. And it would be great to let Shaw think that his scheme was working. It would encourage him to keep going with his plan."

Sarah groaned. "I can see where this is going," she said.

"I'm really sorry," Chuck said with a smile. "You know that I am. But I'm afraid that it's time for us to use our main weapon. It's time to give our mark some killer sex."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior sat in the Safe Room and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Talking to Mom was just what he needed. It's too bad that Bryce was in school. Even as tired as they both were, it was important to keep up appearances. But Bryce was the one who was the most worried – especially about taking Mom's car. It would have done him a ton of good to hear her voice saying that it was okay. Oh well, he could tell Bryce about it.

Frankly, they both felt pretty guilty. And that had nothing to do with taking Mom's car. Thinking, even for a second, that dad might be a crook had been silly. Grandma Beckman wouldn't tell them much. She said that should come from their parents. But she did say that, once they found out the truth, they would be very, very proud. So that probably ruled out pimp and hooker.

Mom didn't tell him much more. Just that the situation was very serious – and there were almost certainly some very bad people watching their every move. She spent a long time making sure that her boys would be careful – not afraid, but careful. She promised to sit down with both of them and explain things when she got home. But all that did was fan the flames of curiosity. Oh, and she did tell him to tell Bryce how incredibly proud that she was of them both – and how very much she loved and missed them. Mom didn't get emotional like that often. So it really meant something when she did.

Chuck Junior was absolutely dying to call Kate – but at least he knew that she was now safe. That was a major relief. He had been horribly worried about her. She had enough on her mind trying to get Aunt Janice elected President. And then to find out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. She was one tough cookie. Of course, he could never, ever tell her that. She would tease him about it incessantly.

Maybe he'd call her later. After all, she now had a secure phone. _Let's see. Midnight here is three in the morning there. That might work_. After all, he hadn't had a chance to pay her back for her early morning call the other day. He hadn't even had a chance to rib her about being a Beltway Babe yet. Of course, that was such a hanging curve ball that he might just let her sweat about it for a while. Maybe she would even let him talk to the new guy. It would be interesting to get her to admit that he was there at three in the morning. That would be fuel enough for some good natured teasing. But she probably would never let him talk to the guy – she knew the stories he would tell him. That's okay, if he was really the one like Mom said, she couldn't hide him forever. He could wait. After all – paybacks were a bitch.

x-x-x-x-x

Kate felt a lot better after actually talking to her parents. But she was a little worried about Alex. He was clearly deep in thought. He hadn't said a word since Uncle Casey and Aunt Janice had left. He was clearly shocked when Uncle Casey swept the apartment for bugs. That was the first tip off that the situation was serious. Kate was trying to judge his mood as they snuggled together on the sofa. But finally, she had to know. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I know that's a lot to hit you with."

"I don't want to do this," Alex said. His voice was so soft that Kate had to strain to hear him. "I always wondered why Julie was so eager to go to lunch tomorrow. She always treated me like I was invisible. Besides, we just got together. Now they want me to cheat on you?"

"They don't want you to cheat on me," Kate said. "Nobody wants that. Alex, going to lunch with someone isn't cheating. They want you to play a role. Just like I'll eventually be doing."

Alex got quiet for a moment. "I don't want that to happen either," he finally said.

Kate looked at Alex. The look on his face was heart breaking. "I know," she said softly. "I don't either. But these guys have to be stopped. I promise that nothing is really going to happen. I'm just going to dance with a couple of guys. Maybe flirt a little. You'll be right there with me all the time. Uncle Casey is going to be watching us every second. Trust me, Alex. He would never let anything happen to me. We're just making them think that their stupid plan might be working."

"But we just got together," Alex whispered sadly. "Kate, I don't want you to think that I consider you a possession. It's not like that. I just don't want to see you flirting with guys. That's hard. I'm sorry that I'm being this way."

"What way is that?" Kate asked with a smile as she reached over to kiss him. "Unbelievably sweet? There is not a thing wrong with not wanting to see your girlfriend flirting with someone. Believe me, Alex. I don't want to think about you alone with Julie either. But I also trust you that nothing will really happen. It will be a long night – for both of us. We'll just have to make it up to each other."

Alex got quiet for a long moment. Kate was beginning to think that he fell asleep. "They probably seduced him," he finally said. He was again speaking so softly that Kate could barely hear him.

"Him?" Kate asked. "Who are you talking about?"

"Your boyfriend," Alex said sadly. "That Paul guy. That's why he broke up with you. They fooled him. They probably lied to him about what you were doing. These guys may be evil – but they're not stupid. This is well planned out. They got rid of your parents. Then they got rid of your boyfriend."

Kate lifted her head from Alex's shoulder to be able to look at him. "Okay," she said. "So?"

"That probably changes things," Alex said sadly.

Kate suddenly realized what Alex was really getting at. That's what he was honestly worried about. If Paul was being manipulated, perhaps she should forgive him. Alex was worried that she was going back with Paul. His insecurity was very cute – but a little of it would go a long way. "Hey," she said. "I want to tell you something. And I want you to hear me, okay?"

Alex nodded.

"No Alex," Kate insisted. "I really want you to hear me. This is important."

"Okay," Alex said.

"I would have had a hard time breaking up with Paul," she said. "I mean, loyalty is very important to me. Paul and I were together for five years. It's just something that you get used too. I can't tell you that I would have broken up with him this quickly. I probably wouldn't have. We would probably technically still be together."

Alex nodded sadly.

"But I would have been miserable," Kate said. "I have been for the past six months. And that was before I met you. I would have been going crazy with guilt. I would have been falling in love with you and not be able to do anything about it. Alex, I need you to know something - I'm crazy about you. And I know that you're worried that somehow you're my rebound, second choice. That is so not true. I'll admit that for the first few days, I compared everything about you to Paul. But I stopped. It was silly. There was no comparison. What I feel for you simply isn't in the same league. So, I understand getting jealous of other guys. But, Alex, I'm begging you to get over being jealous of Paul. I would have eventually figured it out. I promise. I'll do anything you want to convince you of that."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the smile spread across Alex's face. "Yes, Alex," she said with her own grin. "Their evil plot has worked. I've become that girl - the slutty girl that they wanted to turn me into. But the joke is on them – because I'm only going to be that girl with you. I'm now the girl who will use sex to keep you so exhausted that you won't have any time or energy to be jealous. So I understand completely what I just said. I meant anything. Except this time I expect you to take full advantage of it. I trust you to come up with something a little more interesting than putting in a good word for you with Senator Casey. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping that this is one of those things that we never have to tell Senator Casey."

Kate could clearly see the red traveling up Alex's face. It was beyond cute.

"Umm," Alex said cautiously. "Anything? Could I spend the night?"

Kate inwardly groaned. "Alex Regal," she said in mock disgust. "What am I going to do with you? Didn't you just hear my slutty girl speech? The one where I said you were going to be too exhausted to think about being jealous? Do you really think I would let you leave tonight – or any other night? After we're done… let's go to your place and pack some clothes. Now, come on, Alex. I know you're shy. But, in case you haven't noticed, I'm throwing myself at you. What's the matter? Don't you find me attractive?"

"Are you kidding?" Alex gasped out. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. You're a Beltway Babe."

"Thank you," Kate said with a grin. "But surely you can think of something that the newest Beltway Babe can do as a gesture for the guy she happens to be crazy in love with. Consider it a challenge."

Now there could be no mistaking the grin on his face. "Remember the night you passed out?" he asked. "And you sort of stripped?"

Kate nodded. "How could I forget?" she asked. "It was only two nights ago. It was the first time I've ever done anything like that. I had to get drunk to be able to do it."

"Well," Alex continued. "My biggest dream was that someday you would do that when you were sober. But I don't want you to do anything that you don't…"

"Okay, Alex," Kate said with a laugh. "Stop. I'm sitting here begging you to give me something to do for you. I would have been embarrassed before – but not any more. We're together now. In fact, I'll bet I enjoy it more than you do. That is actually pretty tame. But I guess we can start out slow."

"Let me get this straight," Alex said. "The most beautiful girl in the world and the love of my life is going to put on a sexy show for me and all I have to do is get over being jealous? Which is something that I'm stupid for being anyway?"

"Pretty much," Kate said. "Sounds like a pretty good deal when you put it that way, huh? Thanks for the compliment. It was sweet. You're the love of my life too. Are you ready?"

"I guess," Alex said. "Tell me something. Are your parents going to like me?"

Kate smiled and grabbed his hand. "They are going to love you," she said. "Because I do. You've already won over Uncle Casey. Trust me. If you can get him to like you, everyone else is a snap."

"You dad sounds fun," Alex said. "Does he always come up with these outrageous plans?"

Kate couldn't keep the silly grin off her face as she turned up the music and began to dance. "Apparently so," was all she could sigh. "You know that I've never done this before? I might mess up."

Alex just laughed. "Like I would know if you messed up," he said.

x-x-x-x-x

Yuri Asimov had just hit the jackpot. He wasn't sure what price Shaw was going to demand of him. Oh, there surely would be one. Shaw wasn't the type of man who forgot when you owed him a favor. But anything up to and including giving up a kidney was worth it. Sarah Walker had finally agreed. She must really be getting desperate. Shaw told him that she would. It was actually worth the kidney just to hear her plead with him in front of those men.

And the truly funny part was that he was giving up nothing. The group of men that he was going to introduce her to tomorrow had nothing to do – well, with anything really. It was just the group of guys that he played cards with every Thursday.

This was going to be so great. He had her – they both knew it. Oh, she kept trying to negotiate – but Yuri knew that she was buffing. She had no choice. His ten year wait was finally over.

Walker was clearly nervous as she led him down the hallway. He insisted that she take his hand as they left the club. So that every person there would know where they were going – and why. Once they were into her room, she instantly started again with the silly negotiations.

"Please, Yuri," Sarah pleaded. "I'll give you sex. But please let me do it with some dignity. Don't make me do this. I'm begging you. Have a little pity."

Yuri just grinned. "This is business," he growled. "You want my help – you will pay my price. There is no room for pity here."

"Actually," Chuck said as he came out of the bedroom holding a gun. "I'm glad you feel that way, Yuri. We quite agree. It makes what we're about to do guilt free, doesn't it darling?"

Sarah smiled at her husband. He only called her darling on a mission – and in front of a mark.

Yuri really had no place to go. He quickly felt the three tranq darts hit his chest – and then quickly he felt nothing. The blackness quickly consumed him."

"Well," Sarah said with a grin. "That was easy – disgusting, but easy."

"Yup," Chuck said with his own grin. "Like he was going to turn down a chance at bagging Sarah Walker. Let's tie him up, bring him too, and see what he knows. You have the drug?"

"Right here," Sarah said as she handed Chuck a dart. "Let's hurry and give this guy his heart attack. I want to go home."

x-x-x-x-x


	13. The In Laws

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Alex has won the approval of Casey and Janice. Now it's time for the acid test. No – not Chuck and Sarah. They're pretty easy. There is someone else who is even more critical. If Alex can win him over – he's home free._

_The scariest thing that you will ever do is tell someone that you love them – and mean it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The In Laws**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck just looked at his wife and let his shoulders slump. Oh, it went smoothly with Yuri. The drug worked just like it was supposed to. Their biggest chore was to get the body undressed and in bed. Chuck always wondered – whenever he heard about a famous person having a heart attack – how often was it the CIA? Sarah told him that it happened more than you would expect.

It had taken Sarah a lot longer with the French authorities than they had planned. After all, the concept of a person having a fatal heart attack while having sex was fairly – unusual. Then they got a look at Sarah and it didn't seem so unusual. They thought about just leaving the body someplace - but Chuck wanted it to get back to Shaw. He wanted Shaw to think that Sarah had truly broken. Perhaps that would embolden him to continue his plan. And that meant reporting Yuri's death to the authorities. It also meant they had to scramble to catch the last fight back home, the dreaded red eye.

But finally they were comfortably in the air and had a chance to talk. "I thought that Asimov would hold out a lot longer," he said with as much energy as he could muster. "After all of his bluster, he sang like a canary. So at least now we know. I knew that Shaw was after more than just getting you in the sack."

Sarah sighed. This was something that they had fought over many times in the past ten years. Now it turned out that Chuck was right. Thankfully, he was letting it side – for now, at least. She would have to think of a special way to apologize to him. At least Chuck appeared more concerned with the news about Shaw than with the guy in the grey suit across the aisle who was currently overtly checking her out. That was one good thing. And in a little over six hours, she would get to meet this new guy that Katie was so head over heels about. So, all in all, she was in a pretty good mood - considering that her boss wanted to totally break her will to resist, force her into bed, and then kill her. Oh, and that he was apparently willing to destroy Kate, Robbie, and probably a lot more in the process. "My red test was over twenty-five years ago," she said. "If Shaw was looking for revenge he's had plenty of chances. Are we sure that Asimov was telling us the truth? Was it really Shaw's wife?"

"There is one way to find out," Chuck said. "I've always stayed out of your file out of respect. I figured that anything I needed to know, you'd tell me. So, before I look, is there anything that you want to tell me about?"

"There is probably some footage of me and a mark getting pretty heavy," Sarah said sadly. "You already know that this happened. My assignment was to keep him occupied and we were under video surveillance. I didn't sleep with him – but it got pretty close. So, if you see that, I'm sorry if it hurts you."

"Why would you be sorry about that?" Chuck asked. "It was years before we even met."

"I don't know," Sarah said with a soft smile. "I just am. We've been together pretty much every day for the last twenty-five years. In case you haven't noticed mister, things that hurt you bother me."

Chuck was out of it for quite a while. After all, Sarah's file must be one of the biggest ones in the entire intersect. And Sarah was right - there was some pretty graphic surveillance footage. But even that wasn't that horrible. Chuck wasn't even sure why. There was a time when watching a mark get Sarah naked would have driven him up the wall. But now, he knew her. He could look at her face and instantly tell that she was faking any passion. There was a little second base action. Okay, a lot of second base action – but it was twenty-five years ago… and she had saved the Italian President from being assassinated.

Chuck had to admit, she had long ago told him about every single thing that was in that file that could be remotely considered controversial. He already knew about the week of living with the mark in Dallas, the time that she had to keep the assassin off the grid for three days in Rome, and, yes, even the un-redacted version of the now famous wet t-shirt contest in Cleveland and its aftermath.

Quite honestly, reading clinical field reports sort of made it impersonal anyway. After all, he already knew more details about those events than were in the reports anyway. It was almost as if he was reading about some other Sarah Walker – not the love of his life and mother of his three children.

But finally, Sarah could tell that he was back - and just in the nick of time. Grey Suit was clearly getting ready to come over and offer to keep her company – since her husband was asleep. And then Chuck told her that he was back – just not with words. He grabbed her face in his hands and planted a massive kiss on her lips. Sarah was more than a little surprised at first – Chuck never was this affectionate in public - but she quickly warmed to the idea. It was just like a movie night kiss from before they were even married. Sarah even made it feel like old times by grabbing two fistfuls of Chuck's hair to keep his face plastered to hers.

"Wow," Sarah said with a smile when they finally had to come up for air. She flashed a look at Grey Suit that clearly said better luck next time. "What brought that on? Family tradition? Technically, we're flying West."

Chuck just smiled. "That…" he sighed. "That was to remind you of how much I'm crazy about you. And to thank you. You trusted me enough to tell me everything."

Sarah just laughed. "I think that maybe you should read my file more often," she said. "But now what are you going to do for an encore? We're in the air for another six hours. And you've gone and lit the fuse – and I think you know how short that particular fuse it."

"Oh no," Chuck said in mock horror. "What have I done? This could be a catastrophe."

"A mid-Atlantic catastrophe," Sarah said with a grin. "What are we going to do? We need a hero."

Chuck matched Sarah's grin. "Fortunately, I've come prepared," he said as he held up a blanket.

Sarah sighed. "As attractive as that sounds, maybe we should talk about work first," she said.

Chuck just smiled. "Shaw will wait," he said as he pulled Sarah in for another kiss. "He's ruined enough of the mood as it is. After all, we still have six hours. Besides, he'll be dead soon. And this is a job for a hero."

x-x-x-x-x

It was the true test of any new relationship. Certainly it wasn't the sex. No, they had clearly earned an A+ on that test – but people who didn't even like each other that much could have hot sex. It wasn't the conversations. Alex and Kate had proven that they truly enjoyed each other's company. It wasn't even the arrangement details. Frankly neither Kate nor Alex cared much about whose stuff sat where in the bathroom, which shampoo did they use, or who had more of the closet.

No, the true test was pretty clear. Could two people who were fairly used to living alone – or at least sleeping alone, be together all the time? Going to bed was one of the most basic of human functions. And the honest truth was neither Kate nor Alex had ever gotten ready for bed with another person with the intent of sleeping. Now that they were officially roomies, that was the thing that was concerning Kate. Would she be able to sleep with Alex lying next to her? What should she wear? Was her normal t-shirt and panties appropriate? Did it send the signal that she was trying to seduce him? Would Alex ever feel relaxed with her oh so close to being naked? And, conversely, was she herself going to constantly be in her current state of arousal whenever she touched him?

Kate was honestly so nervous that she could barely brush her teeth. Of course, she wanted Alex to feel comfortable enough to let her know when he was in the mood. But she didn't want him to feel obligated that every time they went to bed had to end up with sex. Hopefully they could actually be a couple all the time and settle into a routine.

Naturally, Kate's concern ended up being ridiculously silly. They quickly snuggled together so comfortably that it was like they had been together for years. Kate sighed at how stupid she had been. As a matter of fact, Kate quickly fell into the deepest, most relaxed sleep that she had ever known. That's why the secure phone that Aunt Janice had given her didn't wake her right away.

Chuck Junior could tell that Kate was dead asleep. He had heard that voice many, many times. She was still sleeping. This was the opportunity of a lifetime to get back at his sister. So he grinned evilly into the phone and in his most matter-of-fact tone said, "Hi, Kate. Can I talk to Alex?"

x-x-x-x-x

Kate relaxed back into the pillow and closed her eyes. This was the best feeling in the whole world. It felt so good to snuggle with her new – well, boyfriend? Roommate? Lover? Whatever he was, he felt so warm. So she reached over to get closer to him. Then she remembered. Of course – he was in the living room - talking to Chuck Junior.

"What?" Kate exclaimed as she sat up – instantly wide awake. This was a disaster. That sneaky bastard had tricked her. There was no way that she would have ever let Alex talk to him alone. And he knew it. No way… Not so soon. And not without some serious preparation. For one thing, there could be now no hiding the fact that Alex was here at… One look at the clock quickly confirmed her suspicions. Oh shit – three in the morning. She would never hear the end of this. He always made fun of her for never having spent the night with Paul. Now he had plenty of ammunition to jab at her.

Now Kate was getting worried. _What could they possibly be talking about for so long? What was Chuck Junior telling him? Oh, he couldn't be telling the Senior Prom story. He wouldn't stoop that low. Would he?_

Finally, Alex was back. He sat her phone on the night stand and crawled back into bed without a word. He rolled over to snuggle with Kate and apparently go back to sleep.

"Oh, hell no," Kate said as she sat up. "Don't even think of not telling me what he said."

Alex just groaned. "Can I tell you in the morning?" he asked in a semi-whine. "It's late."

"Remember Slutty Girl?" Kate asked pointedly. "If you want to see her again any time soon, you're going to wake up and tell me what he said. I want every single word."

Alex could sense that she was uptight about him talking to her brother, so he tried to calm her down. "He just told me that he loved you very much," he said.

"Come on, Alex," Kate snorted skeptically. "He didn't say that."

"He absolutely did," Alex insisted. "He may have never said those words. But that's clearly what he was saying. He told me that you needed someone in your life that would look out for you – especially now that you were away from your family and spending every second trying to get Senator Casey elected president. He told me that Paul was never that guy for you. He told me that he was worried about you. He said that he had kicked Paul's ass and sort of inferred that he would do the same to me – if I ever hurt you."

To say that Kate was stunned didn't come close. "What did you say to him?" was all she could think of to ask.

Alex's face got red – but he didn't look away. "I told him that I was worried too," he said softly. "You were swimming with the big fish and the stakes were unbelievably high."

Kate just nodded.

"He got kind of quiet," Alex continued. "But then I told him that no matter what – no matter how hard or crazy or even dangerous it got – there was one thing that he could know for sure. I'm here. And I'm not going away. I have your back now – and I always will."

Kate smiled at him.

"I told him that I knew that he loved you," Alex said. "But that nobody could possibly love you as much as I do. And that I was willing to do whatever it takes to prove that to him – and to you. I think that sort of shut him up."

Kate had to blink the tears out of her eyes. How could she feel any better? She suddenly felt ashamed for worrying earlier. Alex was absolutely right. He had her back. It was the very best feeling in the whole world. It was way better than sex. It was the first time in her life that she could say that. So she just settled back down on the pillow and snuggled into him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I have your back too. You know that right?"

"He did say one thing that concerned me," Alex said softly. "He said that you were going to have to let another guy down easy who was crazy about you. Kate… who is Robbie?"

Kate didn't want Alex to think that she was laughing at him, so she buried her face into his chest. Then she realized. This was how she needed to help him. If she was going to claim that she had his back – he was insecure. He needed reassurance. That was something that she didn't have any experience with. After all, everybody else in her life was confident – to a fault. "Robbie is very special," Kate said softly. "He is a close friend of the family – and I'll admit, he has a huge crush on me."

"How do you feel about him?" Alex asked.

"I absolutely love Robbie," Kate said. "I have for years. He is incredibly special."

Kate could feel Alex's body go limp. "I understand," he said sadly.

Kate lifted her head to look at him with a smile. "I don't think that you do," she said. "Robbie is twelve. I've baby sat for him since I was fourteen."

"Oh," was all Alex could say.

"Okay, Alex," Kate said softly. "Look. I know that you lack confidence. It's sweet. I just said that I have your back… it's time that I proved it. There are two rules that you need to remember that I think might go a long way. Rule number one is that I'm crazy about you. You're the one. I love you and I'm here next to you until you tell me to go away. You never, ever have to worry about me with another guy. I know about all the lunches and dinners with supporters and lobbyists that you're going to see. That's just part of the job. But you never have to worry. I promise. Please tell me that you understand."

Alex smiled. "I understand," he said. "I'm trying to be more confident. For what it's worth – I trust you. I feel exactly the same way. I'm sorry if it sounds like anything else. What is the second rule?"

Kate put her head back on Alex's chest. "Rule number two is even more important," she said. "If you ever begin to doubt me or question how I feel – see rule number one."

x-x-x-x-x

It seemed like Kate had just gotten comfortable again when she was wakened by a loud pounding on the door. She quickly glanced at the clock. It was a little after six. "This is a nightmare," she moaned. "A freaking nightmare. Is the whole world combined in some giant conspiracy to keep me from snuggling with my new guy?"

Alex was already out of bed. "I'll get it," he said with a tired grin as he pulled on his pants. "It's probably the Colonel. He just doesn't want us getting all that comfortable. I don't think he can bear the thought of what we might be doing."

"Then it's a good thing that he wasn't here three hours ago," Kate said with as much smile as she could manage.

"Yeah," Alex said. "I don't imagine that he ever wants to meet Slutty Girl."

"He would have had a heart attack," Kate laughed. And actually, speaking of heart attacks – it might be a good idea to not give Uncle Casey one. So she threw on the robe that she had bought just yesterday – exactly for this very reason. It made her look sixty – but it was the perfect compromise. She could still dress like Slutty Girl for Alex but avoid the lectures from Uncle Casey.

If Alex expected Colonel Casey when he opened the door, he was in for a huge surprise. He was looking directly at Kate – a little older, perhaps. But it was Kate. He didn't know that Kate had any sisters – he just knew about the two brothers. He really didn't know what to say. So he just stuck out his hand. "Hello," he said. "I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you. I didn't realize that Kate had a sister."

If she was at all surprised with Alex answering the door, she sure didn't show it. Her smile was relaxed and genuine. She simply ignored his out stretched hand and stepped in to embrace him. "Hi, Alex," she said warmly. "I'm Sarah Bartowski. I'm Kate's mom. I've heard a lot about you. It's good to finally meet you."

x-x-x-x-x


	14. Charades

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_It's a tough time for Team B. They know something is up – they just don't know exactly what. So, naturally, Chuck has to come up with a plan to find out. Unfortunately, the bad guys are getting more and more desperate. And that desperation leads to even more evil as they try to cover their tracks. The team is going to have to make some hard decisions in a desperate attempt to keep everybody safe._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Charades**

x-x-x-x-x

To say that poor Alex was nervous was somewhat of an understatement. After all, it wasn't how he pictured meeting the woman who hopefully would someday be his mother-in-law. But here he was – standing without a shirt at six in the morning hugging her. Well, actually she was doing most of the hugging. Alex really didn't know what to do with his hands. So he just sat them as lightly as he could on her back.

"Umm," Alex said as soon as Sarah released him. "It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Bartowski. I've heard a lot about you too." But he inwardly winced at even that mild greeting. How would she take that? The things that he had heard painted a picture of a person who was a cross between Mata Hari – and Chuck Norris.

Naturally, Sarah was completely used to men being nervous when they met her for the first time. It was usually for a totally different reason – but still – it was cute. So she put on her most relaxed smile – the one that she reserved for PTA meetings and teacher conferences. "Alex, do you really think that you're going to call me Mrs. Bartowski?" she asked. "I'm Sarah. Do you think that maybe I could come in?"

Alex mentally kicked himself. This wasn't going badly – it was far worse than that. He had let her stand in the doorway for like forever. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said. "Please come in." He was currently picturing himself in a police interrogation room – complete with the bright lights and a fat detective shouting questions at him. Except that wouldn't be quite so tense. "Umm," he said. "I'm sorry that I called you Kate's sister."

"Why would you be sorry about that?" Sarah asked. "It was the nicest thing that anybody has said to me in a long time."

"Umm…," Alex stammered. "I don't know… I…" Fortunately he was saved from looking like any more of a fool than he already did when Kate finally came out of the bedroom.

"Mom," Kate said as she rushed to throw her arms around her. "I didn't expect you until this afternoon. Where's dad?"

"He's next door getting Janice and Casey," Sarah said with a grin. "We were lucky and caught an earlier flight."

Alex suddenly became aware of how he was dressed and excused himself. "I'd better get dressed," he said. "Please, Mrs. Bar… umm… Sarah – let me take your coat."

As soon as Alex left the room, Sarah started to laugh. "That poor guy," she said. "He is positively panicked."

"He is really nervous about meeting you," Kate whispered. "He is desperate for you to like him. Do you think that you and Dad can go a little easy on him today? He's really trying. Chuck Junior already put him through the wringer once this morning."

"Really?" Sarah asked in amazement. "You let Alex talk to Chuck Junior? Did they get along?"

Kate just snarled. "Sneaky bastard tricked me," she growled. "He called at three in the morning when I was asleep. I have to figure out some way to get even. You're still in the CIA, right? Can you get me some of that C4 stuff? Maybe I'll blow him up. I think that Alex did okay. Chuck Junior was playing like he was the concerned brother."

Sarah winced. "Or…" she said pointedly, "how about this? He really is the concerned brother. Would it really be so hard to believe that your brother loves you and is worried about you? He broke his hand on Paul's eye. Trust me, Katie. If Alex can get Chuck Junior to like him… your dad and I are a piece of cake."

x-x-x-x-x

"What are we going to do about Walters?" he asked the group of men that were assembled in the conference room. "It was a major screw up to involve her so early. For one thing, there is not much she can do for us as long as this boyfriend is around. For another, she now knows our plan."

"She's isolated, sir. We're monitoring her every sound. She can't tip anyone off."

"For now," he sighed. "But once her husband returns there will be no way to keep them quiet. How long will that be?"

"Three days, sir."

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. "That's not enough time. Killing Walters will be a major complication. It might generate some sympathy for Casey – especially since Shaw is already planning on killing the Bartowski boys. That's too much to not draw some serious attention."

"Yes, sir. But maybe we can do them together. Perhaps make it look like a star-crossed murder suicide thing. The Bartowski boys clearly have a major thing for Walters. I mean, have you seen her?"

He just shook his head sadly. His men were very loyal. They had proven that they were dedicated to their cause. He had no question that they would lay down their lives for it. But they sure as hell weren't much in the brains department. "That's the last thing we would want," he sighed. "Assuming it would work – and it wouldn't - if the press got wind of any crime of passion thing they would be all over it. If we have to eliminate Walters, it's going to have to look like a robbery gone bad. Even that is going to attract some attention but we're probably not going to have much choice. When are we moving on the new boyfriend?"

"Our gal has a lunch date with him today, sir. She is going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at him."

"Odds for success?" he asked.

"Our gal is hopeful, sir. She says that she has noticed him checking her out several times in the past. Of course, that was before he formed his new relationship with Bartowski."

"Great," he muttered. "That's all we need – another body that is linked to Senator Casey. If we have to move on him, we need to make it look like an accident. Let's hope your girl is as good in the sack as she thinks she is."

"Yes, sir."

"Let's get back together this afternoon," he said. "After we find out how successful she was, we'll plan our next move."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Janice were sitting in Janice's kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. Alex was off for his lunch date with Julie. Kate had a lunch appointment already scheduled with a lobbyist. Everybody agreed that neither Kate nor Alex would go anywhere without backup until they could figure out exactly what was going on. So Casey was in the car outside the restaurant listening to Kate talk to the lobbyist. Sarah was following Alex and Julie. Getting them to wear wires was a new – and interesting experience for both.

"So," Janice said with a grin. "What do you think of your new future son-in-law?"

"He's nice enough," Chuck said with his own grin. "A little nervous, maybe – but nice. I'm a little worried for him. I'm not really seeing him with Kate. He seems to be kind of out of her league. He couldn't be less like Paul if he tried."

Janice couldn't hold in the laughter. As a matter of fact, she was laughing so hard that she couldn't speak for a long moment. "You really don't see it?" she asked. "Do you?"

"What?" Chuck asked. "It was hard to watch someone laughing and not smile yourself. Even when you had the vague feeling that they were laughing at you.

"Come on, Chuck," Janice said. "Think about it. Alex is you. They say that every girl looks for a man who is just like dad. I'm not sure if that's true. But it is sure what Kate did. She went out and found a guy just like you. I really don't think you have anything to worry about with Alex. Kate is out of his league just like Sarah is out of yours. That worked out okay, didn't it?"

That got a twinkle in Chuck's eye. There was no way that Janice openly laughing at him was going to go un-avenged. "He's just like me, huh?" he asked with a sly grin. "Does that mean that you're going to fall in love with him too?"

It wasn't easy to get Janice Casey to blush. In fact, it was damn hard – especially since she had gotten involved with politics. But Chuck had her as red as he could ever member. "You're never going to let me live that down," she groaned. "Are you? Okay, yes – I thought that I was in love with you for a couple of weeks." But then Janice's blush was replaced with a sly grin. "The irony in this situation is that - right now, I'm not sure that I even like you all that much."

"Oh come on, sweetie," Chuck said. "Don't be like that. You know that I was only teasing."

That did it. They both busted out laughing. As soon as they could come up for air, Janice got up. She walked over to where Chuck was sitting and put her arms around his neck. "My God," she whispered. "Casey and I have missed you guys. Having Kate here is the only thing that has kept us even semi-sane."

Chuck wrapped his arms around Janice and squeezed as hard as he could. "We've really missed you too," he said. "Thank you so much for looking out for Kate. And who says that you're semi-sane?"

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was clearly shaken when he finally got back in the car with Sarah after his lunch date with Julie. "You did fantastic," she said. "I assume that she didn't notice you changing her cell phone battery."

"No," Alex sighed. "She left the room. That part was pretty easy. I really wasn't expecting lunch to be at her apartment. I was expecting that we would be at a restaurant."

"I know," Sarah said as soothingly as she could. "Subtlety is not their style. There was no way for her to try and seduce you in a restaurant."

"You knew," Alex said. "Didn't you? Why didn't you warn me?"

"I'm sorry, Alex," Sarah said. "But if you had known that she was going to take off her clothes and beg you to go to bed – you wouldn't have gone. We need this information. I'm sorry if that sounds manipulative to you."

"Can we please not tell Kate about this?" Alex pleaded.

For the first time, Sarah looked at Alex with a critical eye. Was he feeling guilty? That must mean that he was tempted. "Okay, Alex," she finally said. "Tell me why."

"Because," Alex said. "Kate shouldn't have to think about that. She shouldn't have to think about her boyfriend looking at another girl naked. Why put her through that? She has too many things on her plate as it is. This is a problem that she doesn't need."

Sarah smiled – in relief. How sweet was that? "That's very nice, Alex," she said. "But you're actually wrong. Trust me – I know Kate. If we tell her exactly what happened and that all you were concerned about was her feelings – that will make her feel great."

Alex got quiet for a long moment. "I really do love her," he said. He was speaking so softly that Sarah had to strain to her him. "I know that if I was in your shoes, I'd question that too. I'd think that it's too much too soon. And I have to tell you… I hope that you don't take offense at this – but you're wrong about something too."

"Okay, Alex," Sarah said just as softly. "What am I wrong about?"

"If you would have told me what was going to happen today – I would have still gone," Alex said, looking Sarah in the eye for the first time. "I may have been a lot more nervous – but I still would have gone. I told her brother this morning – and I'm telling you now. I'm just as worried about Katie as you are. She's swimming with the big fish and the stakes are incredibly high. But for what it's worth, I'm here. I have her back. I'm not going away no matter how hard or crazy – or even dangerous it gets. I'll do whatever it takes to prove that to you. I want you to like me – I do. That would mean a lot to Kate – and I'd like it too. But my first priority is Kate."

Sarah had to quickly blink the tears away. But the nostalgia was so powerful that she was forced to smile at the memory. "Wow, Alex," Sarah said. "That's actually the fastest way to get me to like you. For what its worth I have no doubt that you love her. Kate is very lucky to have you… we all are."

Finally the smile came to Alex's face. "Thanks," was all he could say.

Sarah was quiet for a long moment. But finally she couldn't help herself. "Tell me, Alex," she said. "Did you ever work in a Buy More?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah could tell that something was wrong the instant that she and Alex walked into Casey and Janice's apartment. Both Chuck and Janice's face had dread written all over it. But she didn't want to say anything in front of Alex. So she waited until he went back next door to his place to wait for Kate. Then she turned to Chuck. "What is it?" she asked.

Janice handed her a transcript. "Alex planted the bug on her cell phone," she said. "Ten minutes after he left, we intercepted this call."

_**Unidentified Male:**__ How did your mission go?_

_**Julie:**__ I completely struck out. He wasn't the least bit interested._

_**Unidentified Male:**__ Do you have any hope that you can quickly soften him up?_

_**Julie:**__ No. I think this is a worst case. He is totally dedicated to her. I don't think that anything is going to change that._

_**Unidentified Male:**__ Okay. We were afraid of that. We'll have to make this messy. He needs to have an accident. Can you get him alone again?_

_long pause in the conversation_

_**Unidentified Male:**__ Are you still there?_

_**Julie:**__ I'm here. But I didn't sign up to kill anybody._

_**Unidentified Male:**__ Don't worry. We just want you to get him alone. We'll take care of the other stuff._

_**Julie:**__ No way. I'm not helping you kill anybody. I didn't sign up for that._

_**Unidentified Male:**__ You'll do what you're told. Don't forget – you have your own problems. I don't think that you're in any position to tell us what you're going to do._

_long pause in the conversation_

_**Julie:**__ Fine… I'll get him alone someplace. I'll tell him that I have some information about Kate. But that's as far as I'm going._

_**Unidentified Male:**__ Don't worry, my dear. We'll take care of everything. Let me know when you have the meeting set up._

Just as Sarah finished reading the transcript, the door opened and Casey and Kate came in. They were all smiles. Apparently the lobbyist had gotten a little drunk and made somewhat a fool of himself.

"Hey guys," Kate said with a silly grin. "Where's Alex? I want to hear all about his exciting lunch. Did he get lucky?"

x-x-x-x-x

"Yes, sir, it's all set. She is going to get him to her place by telling him that she has some information. We'll be waiting."

"Good," he said. "Smoke the girl too."

"The girl, sir?"

"We can't have any witnesses," he said. "She knows too much. Leave them naked in bed. Make it look like a jealous boyfriend thing. The press might be interested – but they both work for the party. They're only remotely tied to Casey. We should be okay."

"Yes, sir – consider it done."

x-x-x-x-x


	15. Local Office

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_It is decision time for Team B. Now that they know about the plan to kill Alex, all bets are off. But who better to plan their next move than Chuck? But, as usual, the bad guys have more evil up their sleeve._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Local Office**

x-x-x-x-x

To Kate's credit, she wasn't crying – not yet anyway. But her eyes got pretty big as she read the transcript. Now they were darting around the room looking for somebody - anybody who could reassure her.

Finally, Mom stepped up. "Come on Kate," she said as calmly as she could. "Settle down. Nobody is going to hurt Alex. We're just not going to let that happen. But you can't panic. In this business, if you panic, you're dead."

Kate was clearly shaken. "How can you stop them?" she asked as she struggled to keep her composure. "You don't even know who they are."

Janice answered before Sarah had a chance. "Because we have a secret weapon," she said. "Katie your dad has already figured out what we're going to do. And when he tells us, we going to listen to him and tell ourselves that we're doomed. His plan couldn't possibly work – but somehow it will. Trust me."

Kate has narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?" she asked timidly.

"Because, sweetie," Sarah said with a smile. "That's how it always works. We've known about this plan to kill Alex for about a half hour. That means that your dad has had the plan worked out in his head for about twenty-five minutes now. I'm not really sure what he's waiting for. He probably wants to be dramatic."

"Well," Chuck said. "I actually do…"

"I forgot to tell you, Katie," Sarah interrupted. "Be prepared… You're going to hate this plan. We all are. After all, we always do. But they always work."

"Oh, and Katie," Janice added with a smug look. "One or more of us is going to have to do something really disgusting." When she noticed the way that Chuck was looking at her, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Hey – we always do."

Finally Casey had had enough. "You're leaving out the part where something happens that boy genius hadn't thought of and one of us gets choked or stabbed or captured – or loses half a lung," he growled. "So can we just get on with it?"

"Okay," Chuck said with a grin. "Here is what…"

"Oh," Sarah interrupted. "Alex. Before we start, I want you to understand that some things you're going to learn here this afternoon are incredibly classified. Not even our sons know about most of this yet. So, you can't talk about this to anybody. There are about twenty people in the whole world who know about this."

Alex just nodded.

Chuck's grin was starting to fade – rapidly. "Okay," he said – with more than a little touch of annoyance. "Can I now speak?"

It was silly – but Sarah hated it when Chuck was clearly annoyed at her. She always had hated it. The flush was clearly into her neck when she nodded. "Sorry, sweetie," she said meekly. "Go ahead."

Chuck flashed a quick smile towards Sarah to let her know that he wasn't mad. "Okay," he began. 'Let's start with the things that we know. We know that Shaw wants revenge on Sarah for killing his wife – and that goes beyond simply killing her. He could have easily done that many times. He is clearly trying to break her spirit. He developed an intersect update that he believes has me thinking that Sarah and he are currently in the middle of a long term affair. He must be going to use that to his advantage somehow. We also know that political enemies of Janice are trying to get to Kate. But I'm afraid that's all we know. There are several things that we need to find out. We really don't know how those two things are related. We also don't know who these people are – or what their bigger agenda is. And we're not sure why they are really after Kate."

"That last part's pretty easy," Janice said. "They don't want me to run for President. They know that I would do anything to protect Katie. They are trying to get her to do something embarrassing enough that I would withdraw rather than have it go public."

"Really?" Kate asked. "Embarrassing? Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Sarah said as she glared at Janice. "How about something like a tape of her winning a wet t-shirt contest?"

Janice's face turned red – for the second time today. That was a new record. "Maybe," she said softly.

"Morons," Kate scoffed. "They don't know me very well. I would never…"

"It almost worked," Alex interrupted softly, more to himself than anybody. In response to Kate's look he continued. "Katie, now it all makes sense. That's why they seduced your boyfriend into breaking up with you. That's why they sent your parents out of the country. They were trying to isolate you and make you lonely. That's why Julie was acting like your best friend and trying to get you to go out with her. That's why she kept running girls at me and guys at you. It's why that pretty boy Hunter put on the full court press."

"Oh my God," Kate whispered. "You're absolutely right. They had me sloppy drunk and half way in the car. That's why they fought you so hard. If you hadn't been there…"

"We'd be watching a tape of you, Hunter, his two friends, and who knows who else right now," Janice finished her thought gently. "They know that I would have withdrawn to keep it off the internet."

Kate could feel the tears quickly fill her eyes. "Aunt Janice," she said. "I'm so sorry. I almost just cost you the presidency."

But Janice just smiled. "Why are you sorry, Katie?' she asked. "For being twenty-one and beautiful? That's a pretty silly thing to be sorry about. You're not the bad guy here. Remember, being president isn't that important to me. You, Katie – you're important to me. That other stuff is all secondary. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. You're a target because of me."

Kate nodded – but she still couldn't quite blink the tears from her eyes. So she just snuggled into Alex a little closer. "Thank you, sweetie," she whispered. "I love you."

"Alex is a real hero," Sarah said with her own eyes shinning. "Why should we be surprised? He saved the day. And that's why they're so desperate to get rid of him."

"I still don't understand something," Kate said. "Why are they so afraid of Aunt Janice becoming President? They're talking about kidnapping Robbie… and killing Alex. I mean, I know that politics at this level is a brutal business – but that's some pretty serious stuff."

"I think that's pretty easy too, princess," Casey said. "They don't want Janice to become Commander in Chief. They know that with her background, she'll ask some embarrassing questions and be in a position to deal with the answers. I think that we've only seen a glimpse of how far they will go to keep that from happening. I think that Elise may be in very serious trouble. We need to do something to protect her."

Thinking about Elise got the room quiet. After all, she was three thousand miles away.

Finally, Alex spoke up. "So," he said. "We can't take this crap from them. What do we do about it?"

Chuck totally expected that sentiment – but frankly, given the people in that room, he was surprised that would come from Alex. Surprised and more than a little impressed. It changed the mood of the whole room. He looked around at everybody nodding in agreement. "We give them what they want," he said with a smile. Then he noticed Kate's jaw drop. "Come on Katie," he quickly said. "I didn't mean a sex tape - of course not that."

"Good," Kate said as a sly smile appeared for the first time. "Aunt Janice said that your plans usually involved someone having to do something disgusting."

Now it was Chuck's turn to get red. "They really don't want to kill Alex," he quickly changed the subject. "They just want him out of the way. There are two ways to make them think that has happened. They both each have their own advantages. The easiest one is for Alex to just sleep with Julie. She'll think that her plan worked."

Both Alex and Kate quickly raised wordless objections.

"I didn't think so," Chuck said with a smile. "So that means that we send him out of town for a few days – maybe something to do with Senator Casey."

"I could send him back to Burbank," Janice said. "He could open my local Senate office there."

"I'm not leaving Kate," Alex said firmly. "How many times do I have to say it? No matter how hard or crazy or even dangerous it gets, I'm with her. I have her back. I'm not running. You couldn't drag me away from her."

Sarah reached over and put her hand on Alex's neck. "We know," she said. "Alex - sweetie, you don't have anything to prove to us - not anymore. We're not asking you to run. We're asking for your help. Casey will go with you to help in setting up the office. After all, there are some people in danger there as well. You heard about our friend Elise. I agree with Casey – she is in serious danger. And our two sons also have people watching them. It would be nice to introduce them to the Colonel."

"But, Kate…" Alex said.

"Kate is safe," Sarah said. "Trust me, Alex – we'll make sure of that. She won't ever be out of our sight. Janice and I would gladly kill anybody with our bare hands who tried anything. The honest truth is that right now she's safer with you in Burbank. If they think that she's alone, they'll take their time and seduce her properly."

Janice got up to leave. "I'll go back to the office and make the announcement," she said. "That way, Julie will know."

"Okay," Chuck said with a soft smile. "In a minute. There is still something that we have to deal with. None of these bad guys are in the intersect. My information is ten years old. I need an update."

"That would be nice," Sarah agreed. "But how are we going to get you an update?"

"General Beckman told us that there is one sitting in Shaw's safe," Chuck said softly. "We need to get in there and get it – without him knowing of course."

"Easy," Janice said. "He's not home all day. We'll just break in and steal it."

"I wish that would work," Chuck said. "But he is the Director of The CIA. His residence will have a world class security system. And the details of his system are too new. They won't be in the intersect."

Sarah groaned loudly. "I can see where this is going," she said.

"I'm really sorry," Chuck said. "You know how sorry I am. I'm not crazy about the idea either. But we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

Janice tried to keep in her giggle – she really did. But it came out anyway – very wetly. "See, Katie," she said. "I told you that someone would have to do something disgusting. This time it's your mom. Now that I think about it, it usually is…"

x-x-x-x-x

He sat in his office and let out a big sigh – but of relief for once. Finally one of those morons was able to bring him some decent news for a change. After all, the new icky sweet couple must not be too hot and heavy if she was going to let him go to California without her for a week. Maybe she was having second thoughts. It was hard to believe that such a geek would have a shot at such a babe anyway.

So now that Kate Bartowski was single again – it was full steam ahead. Perhaps now, Agent Walters could actually be of some benefit – before her tragic demise. He made a mental note to send her some instructions.

This might all actually work out and have a happy ending for everybody. After all, Janice Casey really didn't want to be President. It was such a big job – for such a beautiful lady.

x-x-x-x-x

Kate and Alex were snuggled on the couch. They had been for quite some time. Chuck and Sarah had just left. Alex offered to go back to his place for the night so that Chuck and Sarah could stay in Kate's bed – but Sarah wouldn't hear of it.

"No way," Sarah said with a sly grin. "Alex, you live here now. There's no way that we're kicking you out of your own bed – especially not on your last night together for a while."

So finally, they were alone. "Do you think they like me?" Alex asked softly.

"Well," Kate said haltingly. "I don't think I would say that. Not really."

Alex's body went limp. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know that I acted like a bumbling idiot to your mom this morning… and then I probably came on too strong in the car coming back here. What should I do?"

Kate just laughed. "Come on, Alex," she said. "They don't like you. They're crazy about you. I think they love you more than they do me. If they weren't already together, I'd be worried that they would want you for themselves."

"Okay," Alex said in a confused tone. "Was that last part supposed to cheer me up – or creep me out?"

"A little of both," Kate teased. "They love heroes. And that's what you are."

Alex got quiet for a second. "I'm not a hero, Kate," he finally said softly. "Your mom and dad are heroes. Janice and the Colonel are heroes. Even you're a hero. I just did what I had to do. I was scared."

"And that's what makes you a hero," Kate replied as she gently kissed him. "If it was easy, nobody would be impressed. You saved Janice the chance to possibly become President. And, more important, you saved me from a horrible night. They wouldn't have killed me. They just would have made me wish I was dead. That probably would have messed me up for the rest of my life. Alex, you saved my life that night. You can downplay that all you want – but everybody knows that it's true. Trust me, my mom is not easy to impress. And she's a pushover compared to Uncle Casey. I saw the way they looked at you. It was respect – and love. They were looking at a fellow hero."

Alex just sat there and held her.

"My mom told me their story in Vegas a few weeks ago," Kate said. "She told me all about how my dad never thought he was a hero either. He always thought that he was just a guy doing what he had to do – just like you. She was kidding me earlier that I had picked a guy just like my dad. She also told me that there could be a lot worse person to be like. She told me that she's really proud of me for finding you so quickly in spite of everything else that is going on. She's really rooting for us."

"Rooting?" Alex asked. "What does that mean? We're already together, right?"

"Of course," Kate said. "Rooting was a bad choice of words. Excited might be better. She wants us to be permanent."

Alex sat up. "Permanent?" he laughed. "What does that mean? Why Kate Bartowski, are you proposing to me?"

But to Alex's surprise, Kate didn't laugh. If fact, she didn't say anything for a while. "No," she finally said. "That should come from you. And it should be romantic – and well planned – and maybe a little sappy. So, I'm not proposing – but I'm… waiting."

"Don't you think maybe I'd look a little foolish?" Alex asked. He was speaking so softly that Kate had a hard time hearing him. "We've known each other for six weeks. We've been living together for two days. People will call us fools – fools who rushed in."

"Some people might think so," Kate said with a smile. "Not me. When you're sure, that's all that matters, right? And I'm sure. I have been for – whoa three whole days now."

"Almost four for me," Alex said with his own smile. "I'm sure too. Are you positive that's what you really want? Are you sure that this isn't the case that maybe you think you want this because your mom wants it so bad?"

"No way," Kate said with a grin. "I sort of have a confession. I was daydreaming about our wedding before my parents even met you. I hope that you're not going to ask me to explain how I know that I'm so sure. I can't. I just know that I am."

Alex grinned back. "I have my own confession," he said. "Me too. So how about now?"

Kate just shook her head. "Didn't you hear me? Romantic… well planned… maybe even a bit sappy. Oh… and a big rock. That's a must. I can wait for a few days for you to pull that off… not much longer."

"Okay," Alex said with a smile. "Now that I've received my assignment, I guess we're ready to proceed. Let's see, it's almost Christmas. You do realize that at the rate we're going, we'll have a kid by New Year's Day. We'll definitely need to look for a bigger apartment. Maybe we should start looking into the schools around here. He'll be starting first grade any day now."

"He?" Kate questioned with a grin. "What do you mean, he? Our first child will be a girl. It's a family tradition. Besides – I've kind of daydreamed about that too. But can we wait until Aunt Janice is President?"

"I think so," Alex laughed. "We're going to be pretty busy for the next couple of years. Dodging bad guys, planning a wedding – oh, and getting Janice elected President. I think that we have enough on our plate."

"Tonight's our last night together for a few days," Kate said as she kissed Alex again. "Should I go find Slutty Girl?"

"Not tonight," Alex whispered as he leaned in to kiss Kate. Quickly the kissing turned passionate as he began to slowly unbutton her blouse. "How about we try something different tonight?"

Kate looked in amazement at Alex. This was incredibly exciting. Alex had never taken the lead in the physical department. As a matter of fact, before he even had her naked, she was quickly - and helplessly on fire.

"If I'm going to swim with the big fish," Alex said with a sly grin in between kisses as he scooped Kate up and carried her into the bedroom. "I need to start carrying my own weight in the seduction department."

x-x-x-x-x


	16. Bad Ass Mom

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Chuck Junior finds out the truth about his mom. She might look like a pretty suburban housewife – but she is also a total bad ass. Kate finds out some things about mom as well. It is also time for Shaw to make his move._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Bad Ass Mom**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was trying hard not to resent Alex. He really was. After all, he may have talked to him on the phone but he had just met the guy in person five minutes ago. And Kate had clearly fallen unbelievably hard for this dude. And Mom was, just as clearly, not far behind Kate. That in itself was pretty remarkable. It took a long time for Mom to warm up to somebody – anybody. Paul was still scared to death of her after being basically part of the family for four years. No, Alex had a lot of things going for him. There was just something that stuck in his craw. Mom and Dad had kept this secret from them their whole life. And now – this new guy waltzes in and finds out everything – before Chuck Junior himself did. That was hard to take.

Uncle Casey wouldn't say a word until they were in the safe room. Then there was that. Chuck Junior had always shared a special bond with Uncle Casey. It was hard to describe. It really wasn't a fatherly thing. Chuck Junior knew full well who his father was. But they definitely shared something. They were far more than friends. And now, Chuck Junior could clearly see the respect in Uncle Casey's eyes when he looked at this Alex guy.

But then again, Chuck Junior could just as clearly see the – well, the plain relief on Uncle Casey's face to see him again. That was one good thing. And he had to grudgingly admit – this Alex guy seemed nice enough. For him to have won over the group of people that now accepted him as basically part of the family – well, that was impressive. Oh, another thing that he had to admit. This Alex had gotten ten times closer to Kate in four weeks than Paul had in four years. And Kate was very incredibly, annoyingly, almost ridiculously fussy when it came to men. She always had been - so much so that his friends had jokingly nicknamed her The Ice Queen.

"Okay, Sparky," Casey said as soon as they closed the door to the safe room. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. There are some things that I'd prefer that you hear from your parents – but I think I can tell you enough to get us over the immediate situation. Will that work?"

"Yes, sir," Chuck Junior said. "I'd appreciate that, sir."

"Your dad has a very special gift," Casey said. "Courtesy of a government project gone wrong. What exactly that gift is, I'd prefer to let your parents tell you. Suffice it to say that he is the only one that can do what he can do in the whole world – and it's important enough that twenty-five years ago the government sent two of its very top agents to protect him around the clock. I was the junior of those two agents. Your mom was the other one."

Chuck Junior scoffed. "Sir," he said skeptically. "Please. Are you telling me that my mom used to be a government agent?"

"Not used to be, Sparky," Casey replied with a wry grin. "She still is. At the time of our assignment, she was head and shoulders the very best that the CIA had to offer. She's probably still in the top third of all the agents in the country. She is a world class expert in hand-to-hand combat and small arms weapons tactics. She can disarm a man with a knife and kill him in just under eight seconds. She speaks five languages fluently and is a certified pilot for virtually every class of aircraft ever built – including foreign manufacturers. She can throw a knife into a fly from across the room. She still holds several records at the CIA training academy including most consecutive victories in kickboxing. She has been awarded presidential commendations, which is the highest honor that a covert agent can receive, on three different occasions. No other agent, outside of our team has ever had more than one. The first commendation occurred just before she was assigned to your dad. She single handedly infiltrated and eliminated a terrorist group that was plotting to kidnap, compromise, and eventually assassinate the Italian Prime Minister. Since Italy is a key member of NATO - that would have meant this terrorist group might have gained control over approximately three hundred nuclear weapons. I don't have to tell you how many lives that saved. You do the math."

Chuck Junior was still not convinced. "Mom?" he asked with a skeptical grin.

"Son," Casey continued. "Yes… your mom. But those impressive accomplishments pail compared to what happened after she teamed up with your dad. They just clicked from the very first day. With her abilities and your dad's special talent, we because an unstoppable team. Under the command of General Diane Beckman, your mom and dad led a team comprised of myself, then Agent Elise Walters, and then Agent Janice Beckman. We exposed and eliminated a faction that was in position to execute a coup d'etat against the U.S. government. Your dad devised a plan that caused the elimination of several thousand faction members in a single day. That mission and a follow up one led to your mom's second and third presidential commendations - of which the whole team shared, including me. Agent Walters suffered a life-threatening injury in our last mission and was forced to retire. She has since married fellow ex-Agent Joe West – who she had met on our last mission. Agent Beckman and I were married shortly after that final mission and we retired from active duty. Your mom and dad were allowed to remain active as a reward for their incredible accomplishments with the understanding that they would not ever be asked to actually perform any missions. That happened about three weeks before she announced that she was expecting their second child. Of course, that child became you. I think that brings us, more or less, up to date. I'm sure that you have some questions. I'll try to answer them as best that I can."

"Sir," Chuck Junior said skeptically as he looked Casey directly in the eye. "Are you serious?"

Casey just laughed. "It's hard to believe, isn't it?" he asked. "Your mom looks like this pretty little suburban housewife – but she is actually a total bad ass. Your mom and dad are national heroes. It's just that almost nobody knows about it."

It took Chuck Junior a long moment to process everything that Uncle Casey had just told him. One thing was for sure, Grandma Beckman was right. He was very, very proud. "Sir, you and Aunt Janice just celebrated your twentieth anniversary," he finally said. "That means that Aunt Elise hasn't been active for that long. So, what's going on now? Why is someone threatening her after all this time?"

"That's an excellent question, Sparky," Casey replied. "The short answer is – we don't completely know. That's one reason that Alex and I are here. We need to find out."

Chuck Junior had a million questions. But he knew that they didn't have time for that. So he just asked the first question that popped into his head. "What happened to Aunt Elise?" he asked.

"She got shot," Casey said. "She threw herself into the middle of a gunfight to save another agent. It's the bravest act I've ever seen. They didn't expect her to survive. She actually died three different times in surgery. She lost half of her left lung."

Chuck Junior just nodded. This was way too much information to handle.

Casey's eyes got a definite gleam. "It's hard to believe, isn't it, son?" he asked. "Seeing as how incredibly perfect her lungs look now…"

Alex knew most of this already – but there was some news for him too. He had been studying Chuck Junior's face to see how he processed the news – so he clearly saw the blush travel up his neck and into his face. Great – he really didn't need that thought in his head. This Elise was Kate's mentor. And she was the first one to encourage Kate to take a chance on him. He needed her as an ally – especially given the crap that Kate's last boyfriend had pulled on her. The last thing that he needed was for her to catch him looking at her – lungs. So he made a mental note – whatever you do, when you meet her – do not look at her lungs.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was very hesitant about taking Kate on this mission. But with Casey and Alex gone, they really didn't have much choice. Even though they had intercepted the call that they were no longer going to kill Alex, they still couldn't let her out of their sight. And since this was a three-person op, that didn't leave anybody to protect her.

Kate, for her part, was pretty excited to be going along. And even though she would be staying in the car with Janice – it still would be her first real glimpse of her parents in action. Of course her excitement was blunted substantially when she learned the details of her mom's assignment. "What do you mean he wants to get you into bed?" she asked incredulously. "He knows that you're married, doesn't he? He seriously asked you to go to bed with him – in front of dad?"

"I hate to be the one to break this to you, Katie," Janice said with a grin. "But you being married actually doesn't matter all that much to most men. Especially the ones that we run into on missions. Even them being married doesn't matter to a lot of men."

"Especially with your mom," Chuck added sadly. "Wanting to see her naked is apparently pretty much a universal trait in men from, well, sixteen to eighty. You should see the way Bryce's friends are looking at her."

"Wait a minute," Sarah said with a smile. "I thought we had a deal about talking about Bryce's friends."

"Bryce's friends?" Kate groaned. "That's disgusting. What else am I going to learn tonight that will make me want to stab my own eye out with a fork? So what is this guy…"

"Don't worry, sweetie," Sarah said – as much to Chuck as to Kate. After all, she knew Chuck's history with this particular guy. "Nobody is getting naked today. I'm just going to get your dad and me into the house. Then I'll ask to speak to him in private. I'm just going to keep him occupied for ten minutes while your dad finds the safe."

"Once I find the safe, I'll tell Janice the make and model and she can look up the specs in the internet," Chuck said. "If the safe is too new to be in the intersect, she can walk me into how to get in. I'll find the update, copy it and be back sitting on the sofa before Shaw knows what has happened."

Kate's eyes noticeably narrowed as she noticed for the first time how her mom was dressed. "And just how are you going to keep him… occupied?" she asked.

"Okay, Katie," Sarah said softly but firmly. "You can lose the attitude right now. Nobody is going to do anything to cheat on your dad. After all, this is his plan. I've been doing this for twenty-five years and I haven't cheated on him once. I'm not about to start tonight. We're really not exactly sure what Shaw is after. He went to a lot of trouble to make your dad think that we are having an affair – so it's reasonable to expect that he is going to use that somehow. But we're not at all sure how. That's one of my objectives here – to find out. I need to give your dad his ten minutes – so it may seem like I'm considering giving in to him. It may even seem like I'm actually encouraging him. I'm going to be playing that by ear. But whatever you hear tonight is just an act."

Kate always took it hard when Sarah was cross with her. Even as a little girl, Sarah could have her crying with a scowl in her direction. It actually took her a long moment before she could get any words out. So she settled for reaching out her hand. "I'm sorry, Mom," she was finally able to whisper. "I didn't mean anything. I just… look… I'm really sorry."

"I know, sweetie," Sarah said as she grabbed Kate's hand. "It's okay. I'm sorry that I snapped at you. It's just that your dad is already very sensitive with this particular man." With that she flashed a pained smile towards Chuck. "So I'm trying to be as reassuring as I possibly can. I realize that it's a lot for you to take in all at once. We're all a little on edge right now. But this is what spies – especially female spies - do."

Chuck turned to Sarah – as much to change the subject as anything. "We really don't know what Shaw will do," he said. "His original plan was that whatever was going to happen would take place in France. He'll be improvising. He is clearly mentally unstable. Be prepared to defend yourself at all times. If he gets the least bit aggressive, Janice is going to come in with guns blazing."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey just sat and gave Chuck Junior time to process what he had just learned. Finally Chuck Junior gave a huge sigh. "How much of this should we tell Bryce?" he asked.

"As little as possible," Casey answered. "He deserves to know that your parents are heroes. But your mom waited until Kate turned twenty-one before she told her. You're getting close. Bryce still has a ways to go."

"Okay, sir," Chuck Junior said. "How do we proceed?"

"We – don't do anything," Casey said firmly. "These guys are dangerous. You would need years of training to have a chance against them. They don't know that you're even aware of them. Hopefully they will never find out and just go away. Elise's situation is a little more serious. I'm going to go over there later and try to recon whoever is watching her."

Finally Alex spoke up for the first time. "How will you do that?" he asked.

"That's easy," Casey said. "They have a biometric wire on Elise. The range on that kind of device is very limited. So they must be close. They are probably sitting in a van someplace within a couple of blocks. Just like there is probably a van sitting someplace watching this house. They should be fairly easy to spot."

x-x-x-x-x

Shaw couldn't keep the surprise off his face when he answered the door. It wasn't there long – but he was clearly surprised. "Chuck, Sarah," he said in a puzzled tone. "I thought that you were in France."

"We were," Chuck said. "Our only contact died. It seemed pointless to continue."

"He died?" Shaw asked. "How did he die?"

"Apparently he had a heart attack," Chuck said with a sideways glare at Sarah.

"We thought it would be better to report to you here rather than at the office," Sarah said. "Do you think we could come in?"

x-x-x-x-x

Naturally, Janice and Kate were listening to every word over the wires that Chuck and Sarah were both wearing. It was pretty easy for Sarah to get Shaw alone. In fact, he seemed to anticipate it. Janice knew that as soon as Sarah and Shaw left the room Chuck would put is his earpiece. "Okay," she said. "Comm check. Are you copying me?"

"Loud and clear," Chuck quickly answered. "And I might add – you have a lovely voice."

"Smooth talker," Janice replied sarcastically. "The ten minutes begins now."

Kate sat in horror as she listened to her mom trying to fend off Shaw's advances. So far, he hadn't actually done anything physical. But the language was beyond suggestive. "Aunt Janice," Kate said. "Seriously, what is with this guy? Can he really believe that she has any interest in him? She's shooting him down as brutally as I can imagine. And he keeps coming back for more. Is he serious?"

"I don't think so," Janice said. "I think he's playing some kind of sick game with her. What was that load of crap about letting your dad think that they were having an affair to help her deal with the guilt? What guilt would she have? He's toying with her. He really doesn't expect her to break. Not yet. He's trying to make her miserable."

"Well," Kate said with a sigh. "I don't know about Mom – but he is sure as hell making me miserable."

"I found the safe," Chuck said over the wire. "Why do they always hide it behind the painting? Like the thieves would never look there. It was an older model so I was able to get in easily. The update is copied. How is Sarah doing?"

"About like we figured," Janice sighed. "He is putting on the full court press. He clearly thinks that you are jealous of him. He's enjoying this far too much. I really wouldn't mind shooing this guy very much."

"Yeah," Chuck sighed. "Get in line."

x-x-x-x-x

"This can't be happening,' he said, more to himself than into the phone. "What do you mean the parents are back?"

"Our man in France had a heart attack," Shaw said. "He was their only contact. So they came home."

"This is the last straw," he said. "We just get rid of the new boyfriend and now the parents are back? This is getting far too messy. We're going to have to start cleaning this up."

"I think that you're taking the narrow view," Shaw said. "Where you see problems, I see opportunity."

"What opportunity?" he asked sarcastically. "To end up in maximum security? Or in front of a firing squad?"

"Come on," Shaw said. "Your vision is entirely too small. Think about it. If we eliminate the entire team, who would be left to associate it with us? We could easily sell that some remaining faction of the old Fulcrum group plotted revenge. We'll arrange for a couple of Fulcrum Elders to break out of prison – the press would snap that up. Sure, Senator Casey would be a martyr – but dead people make lousy presidential candidates. Let me take care of this problem for you."

"And what do you get?" he asked.

"Are you joking?" Shaw replied. "This is even better than my original plan. I get revenge. Imagine watching Sarah Walker seeing every single person she's ever loved die – slowly, one at a time - right before her eyes. She'll be begging me to kill her."

"What do you need from me?" he asked.

"There is an abandoned CIA facility in Kentucky called Red Mountain," Shaw said. "Have your team deliver Team Bartowski and the kids there."

"I can't tell you how dead we are if this leaks," he said firmly. "And if we're dead – so are you."

"Don't worry," Shaw said. "I've been waiting for this moment for twenty-five years. Do you really think I would let anything mess it up?"

x-x-x-x-x

"Hey," Alex said softly into the phone. "How's it going?"

"I'm good," Kate said. "I got to go on a mission with my dad and listen to some jerk constantly hitting on my mom. So that was a real treat."

"As long as nobody was hitting on you," Alex said with a smile.

"Who said there wasn't?" Kate teased. "But I'm holding out for a hero for the rest of the night."

Alex grinned at the line from the song that they had just sung together the other night. "Just the rest of the night?" he asked.

"We'll see," Kate said. "I need a hero. But he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight."

Alex laughed out loud. "I think you might be setting up some unrealistic expectations there, Maid Marion," he said. "I'm not Robin Hood. My eye looked fresh from the fight. Like fresh meat."

"Not really," Kate said. "You took your lumps. All heroes do sometimes."

"Its fun seeing where you grew up," Alex said. "I'm staying in your old bedroom. It smells like you."

"Speaking of things that smell," Kate said. "How is Chuck Junior treating you?"

"We're getting there," Alex said. "It was a little tense at first. The Colonel took us down to the shooting range and let us practice with tranq dart guns. That was fun – so we loosened up a little after that. How many of those workout machines do you use?"

"All of them," Kate answered. "Trust me, sweetie. When you workout with my mom – you work out. If she sees you slacking off, she makes you start over." That wasn't completely true. Sarah had never insisted that Kate work out with her. But she was obviously pleased when Kate first asked. Over the years, it became the thing that they shared together. And Mom wasn't a drill sergeant. She taught Kate how to work out effectively – but never pushed her.

"I'd better let you get to sleep," Alex said. "I really miss you. I love you."

"I'll see you in a few days," Kate said softly. "Don't get used to sleeping alone again. I love you too."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate was in her apartment putting the clothes that she was going to wear tomorrow together. They had decided that Kate would sleep with Janice. And Chuck and Sarah would take Kate's bed. Chuck had just gotten done taking his update – so he was pretty beat.

Sarah walked out of the bedroom holding her phone. Even though she did a good job of hiding it, there was plainly something wrong. "That was Paul's mom," she said with a sigh. "They just found his body in his dorm room. They think that it was a drug overdose."

"Mom," Kate said. "That's crazy. Paul doesn't do drugs. I would know."

Just then Janice walked into the apartment. "The police just called," she said. "They just found Julie's body in her apartment."

"Don't tell me," Sarah said. "Drug overdose, right?"

"Yeah," Janice said. "How did you know?"

x-x-x-x-x


	17. Unlikely Partners

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_The bad guys switch tactics. Actually now, their strategy is fairly straight forward – kill anybody associated with Team B. And then there is Shaw. His plan for Sarah – well, it isn't all that nice._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Unlikely Partners**

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was lying on Kate's old bed deep in thought. Most of those thoughts were good. On one hand, he was happy beyond belief. How could he ever have gotten a woman as wonderful as Katie to fall in love with him? It was like a dream. But then, there was the other hand. She was almost three thousand miles – and three time zones away.

Last night had been the very, very best night of his life. Sure, his first time with Kate had been exciting – there was no question about that. But last night was a hundred times better - and not just the sex part. In their now four days of being a couple, they had already developed a trust that took most couples months – or even years to achieve. No matter what they were talking about – or even when they weren't talking at all – they each knew exactly what the other was thinking. It was close to magical.

Alex smiled to himself as he relived their previous conversation. She insisted on calling him a hero. It was cute. But, at least, she was safe. After all, she was now being continuously watched by three real heroes. She had actually asked him to propose to her. That must mean that she was going to say yes, right? Little did she know that he already had the big rock part taken care of. When his mom gave him his Grandma's ring all those years ago, he never had an idea that he would ever use it. Now, here he was - about to put it on the finger of the most beautiful girl in the world.

But poor Alex was quickly snapped out of his daydream by a loud pounding on the door. "Meet me in the Safe Room," came Casey's booming voice. "Right now!"

x-x-x-x-x

Kate sat on the sofa. She was basically in a state of shock. She was aware that her parents and Aunt Janice were talking. She was even aware that they had called Uncle Casey on the secure phone. But she didn't really understand what they were saying. Of course, she felt badly for Julie. And even worse for Paul. But the simple truth was she felt a little guilty that she didn't feel even worse. After all, she had been with Paul for four years. But the honest truth was, it didn't feel like it. Oh, make no mistake – she didn't wish him any ill will. And he certainly didn't deserve to die. But frankly, all she could think about was the people back home. They were clearly now in danger. How was Alex? Had they taken him out of the frying pan – only to put him in the fire? If anything happened to him… The thought was simply too horrible to continue.

Sarah was trying to keep her voice down. After all, Kate was clearly zoned out. And the last thing that she wanted to do was to freak her out any more than she already was. But it was clear – whatever the bad guy's plans were – they had moved into Phase II. "Casey is going to check on Elise?" she asked.

"Yes," Janice said. "He agrees with us. Elise is the one who is in the most imminent danger. He is going to talk to the guys for a minute and then head over to get her."

"That will tip them off that we're aware of them," Chuck said.

"It can't be helped," Sarah sighed. "Elise is a sitting duck. And whoever these jerks are – they are clearly eliminating witnesses. If Elise is at home base, they can at least defend themselves. It would take a fairly large force to attack there with both Casey and Elise ready for them. They could hold out for days."

"What about us?" Chuck asked softly. "Are we in imminent danger?"

Sarah and Janice just looked at each other. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Janice went to answer the door while Sarah assumed a defensive position with her weapon drawn. Janice opened the door – as much as the chain would allow.

"Excuse us, Senator Casey," the man said as he held out a badge. "I'm sorry to bother you so late. My name is Detective Abrams. I'm investigating the possible murder of your employee, Julie Collins. We have a couple of questions for you and Ms. Bartowski if you don't mind."

"Can this wait until tomorrow?" Janice asked firmly. "We will gladly come down to police headquarters and talk in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Senator," he said. "But we're following a hot lead. We actually have a warrant."

The detective pushed his badge and the warrant through the partially opened door. Janice looked at the warrant closely – and was finally satisfied that it was legitimate. "Come in," she sighed as she took the chain off the door. "Hopefully, this won't take too long. We're not having a good night."

"No ma'am," he replied as he stepped into the room. "This should only take a minute."

Fortunately Chuck had just uploaded an update. It had been a long time since Chuck had flashed on a bad guy - and even longer since the Intersect engaged into fighting mode. But as soon as he saw the detective's face, both happened. And he was actually quite surprised that there was absolutely no sign of rust. It looked to be in slow motion as the man went to draw his weapon. The Intersect was easily able to kick the gun across the room. The second kick was definitely life threatening. It landed flush just under his diaphragm.

It didn't really matter that a dozen men had just poured into the open door. The Intersect could handle twice that many. He could see that Sarah had already dispatched her first target. Her favorite fighting technique – a kick to the groin – was still as lethal as it ever was. Janice was having a little more trouble with her guy – but not much. His face was already a bloody mess.

Suddenly a shot rang out. When Chuck turned to see where it came from – he saw the most horrible sight. One of the men had Kate. He had a gun pointed to her head. They really had no choice but to quickly surrender. Chuck could see Sarah put her hands on her head in a sign that she was giving up. Chuck and Janice quickly but reluctantly followed suit.

They were officially captured.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Alex walked into the Safe Room, Casey began speaking. Chuck Junior and Bryce were already there. Both looked scared. "We have a crisis," Casey firmly said. "They just found the bodies of both Janice's office worker, Julie and Paul. Both were made to look like accidental drug overdoses. That can't possibly be coincidence. Elise is almost assuredly next. I want you guys to gather your tranq guns and as many darts as you can find and wait here for me in the Safe Room. Anybody who walks down those stairs that is not me or Elise is an enemy. I'll be back with her in less than an hour."

"We need to come with you," Chuck Junior said.

"No way," Casey replied firmly. "For one thing, I'm safer on my own. I can't be worrying about protecting you. You have your orders."

"Yes, sir," Chuck Junior said sadly.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they had Chuck and the team in the van, their hands were quickly cuffed behind them. Chuck was trying to catch Kate's eye for reassurance – but there was actually no need. She was remarkably calm for the circumstance. Sarah's face was a little harder to read but Chuck could see equal measures of concern – and hatred. Janice was a lot easier. Her face was pure hatred. They roughly pulled a hood over their heads so Chuck couldn't tell where they were going. After what Chuck guessed was about a thirty minute drive, they were led out of the van and up some stairs. Clearly the noise was that of a plane. Indeed, quickly they were taking off.

Where ever they were taking them – it wasn't close by.

x-x-x-x-x

Casey had only been gone about ten minutes when Chuck Junior's cell phone rang. He could see that it was his Uncle Casey so he quickly answered it. Chuck Junior was a little puzzled. He could hear voices – but his Uncle Casey was not answering him. Suddenly, he realized in horror what was happening. Uncle Casey had been captured and that the phone was in is pocket. He just pressed send in his pocket. He was warning them. So Chuck Junior quickly turned on the speaker phone so that Alex and Bryce could hear.

_"You'll never get away with this," Casey said. "There are only five of you." _He was plainly telling them how many bad guys there were.

_"On the contrary," a man said. "I believe that we will. We already have the folks in Washington. You were the toughest one here – and you were pretty easy. Can you imagine Agent Walters or those snot nosed kids giving us any trouble?"_

Then they could hear some conversation between the men.

"_You two take the good Colonel here and put him on the plane to Red Mountain. We'll go and retrieve Agent Walters. Then we'll come back for the kids."_

"_That will leave the house unwatched. Do you think that will be okay?"_

"_Of course. They are scared to death. They are going to be huddled in that room."_

"_How are we going to get them out of that safe room?"_

"_Easy. Once we have Agent Walters, they would do anything to save her."_

That's when the phone went dead. "Shit," Chuck Junior said. "They have Uncle Casey. It sounds like they already have Mom, Dad, Aunt Janice and Kate."

"They are going for Elise," Alex said. "We need to go save her."

"Uncle Casey told us to stay here," Chuck Junior said. "It was a direct order."

"Well," Alex said. "Look at the situation. Colonel Casey is captured. I'd say that makes his orders are pretty much moot. The whole team is captured. Elise is the only one who would have a clue what to do. If we let her get captured, we're next. Then who is there left to help? We're Kate's only hope. The hell with it - I'll go myself. What is the address?"

"Okay," Chuck Junior said with a sigh. "I guess you're right. We have no choice. Let's go."

"We're going to have to hurry to get in front of them," Alex said. "They already left."

Bryce sighed. "I know how to get there fast," he said. "We have a fast car."

x-x-x-x-x

"Report your status," he said briskly.

"We're right on schedule, sir. The four from Washington are in the air in route to Red Mountain. They should be arriving in a couple of hours. Colonel Casey is also in route. The men are on their way to pick up Agent Walters. They will have her and the boys on the plane in a couple of hours."

"Excellent," he said. "Let me know when Walters and the boys are in the air."

"Yes, sir."

"Well," he said as he turned to where Shaw was sitting. "I've done my part. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I would," Shaw said with a grin. "Thank you. Now I plan on doing my part. The two Fulcrum Elders we were detaining broke out of prison this afternoon. Perhaps you saw it on the news."

"I did see that," he said. "Very creative. What do you plan on doing with the bodies?"

"Let them be found, of course," Shaw said. "They will be buried as heroes. Dead… but heroes."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise was sitting at her kitchen table when there was a knock at the door. When she saw who it was, her eyes narrowed in disgust. "What do you want?" she asked coldly. "I was hoping to never see you again."

"Come now, Agent Walters," he said with a grin. "After all the time and effort I've put in working with you on your manners? Perhaps it's time for another lesson. There has been a slight change in plans."

When the kitchen door opened behind him, he simply called over his shoulder. "Wait in the van," he said. "I'm going to need a few minutes. I forgot how stunning she really is."

"She is stunning," Alex said as he fired three darts into the man's back. "I'll give you that." As soon as he fell to the floor, Alex stepped up to Elise and held out his hand. "Hi," he said. "I'm Alex. You must be Elise West. Kate talks about you a lot. She loves you very much. It's very nice to meet you. I'm very sorry that it is under these circumstances."

"Alex?" Elise asked in confusion as she shook his offered hand. "Katie's Alex?"

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said. "I'm afraid that we have something of a situation." _At least I didn't look at her lungs._

x-x-x-x-x

Kate could feel someone sitting on either side of her. But with her hands secured behind her back and a hood over her head, she had no way to tell who it was. So she just guessed. "Mom?" she whispered.

"Katie," Sarah whispered back. "Stay quiet. Don't give them a reason to punish you. Don't worry. We'll get out of this. We've been in worse situations."

"She was right about staying quiet," a loud voice said in the darkness provided by the hood. Kate could only guess who belonged to the voice – but she guessed a man in his thirties or so. "But don't worry," he said, clearly mocking her. "We won't punish you – yet. After all, we have all the time in the world."

x-x-x-x-x

Since Chuck Junior was lying in ambush position, it was fairly easy for him to tranq the other two men as they came into the house to check on why it was taking so long. After all, they weren't expecting any trouble.

"Red Mountain," Elise said pointedly as soon as Alex and Sparky had told her the whole story. "Are you sure about that?"

All three guys nodded. "Yes," Alex said. "What is Red Mountain?"

"It's a CIA training facility in Western Kentucky," Elise said. "It was closed due to budget cuts about twenty years ago. Shaw must be using it as a base of operations. It is incredibly remote."

"What should we do?" Alex asked. "They have Kate… umm… and the rest of the team."

Elise smiled at Alex's first thought of Kate – in spite of the tenseness of the situation. "I don't know, Alex," she said. "What do you think we should do? We can't call anyone in authority. Daniel Shaw is the head of the agency. We'd just tip them off."

"Do you know where Red Mountain is?" Alex asked hopefully?

Elise nodded. "I've trained there - quite a lot, actually. That's where seduction training was held. It's so remote that once you spend a few weeks there, you're actually eager to seduce…" Elise paused in mid-sentence as the blush traveled quickly up her neck. "Actually, that's probably too much information," she said.

"We need to go rescue them," Alex said quickly. "We're their only hope."

Chuck Junior and Bryce each nodded.

Elise looked closely at the guys. She knew that she had to go. Her team – no, her family - was in trouble. Alone, she knew that she didn't have much of a shot. But these guys were just kids. Could they help… or would they just get in the way? "Boys," she cautioned. "This is not a joy ride. This is as real as it gets. Are you sure you want to do this? There is no shame in not wanting to risk your life."

"Aunt Elise," Chuck Junior said. "They have our family. Besides, he called us snot nosed kids. I'm looking forward to shoving those words up his ass."

"Alex?" Elise questioned.

"What are we waiting for?" Alex asked impatiently. "We're wasting time. I'm going myself if I have too."

"I agree with you," Elise said with a smile. "I just wanted to hear you say it. Bryce, take my car. Drive to your Aunt Ellie's. Explain the situation to her. Have her gather her clan and go someplace that no one knows about and lie low. Buy a new prepaid phone and call your Grandma Beckman. Tell her the situation. Then call Joe's secure phone. Tell him the situation and then throw the phone away. Use only cash. Do you understand?"

Bryce nodded quickly.

Elise quickly had to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Bryce," she said softly. "Please tell Joe that I love him… And if you ever see Robbie, make sure he knows that his mom loved him. Ask him not to hate me… I did this to protect him."

Bryce had to blink out his own tears. But he nodded again.

"Good," Elise said. "I'm counting on you. Alex, Sparky, let's go."

"Go?" Chuck Junior asked. "How do we get there?"

"We'll have to drive," Elise said. "With your mom's car it should take about twenty hours. We'll drive in shifts."

"Come on," Alex said frantically. "Let's go. We don't have any time to waste."

"How are we going to get in once we get there?" Chuck Junior asked.

"I have an idea," Elise said. "But actually, Alex is kinda right. It might be best if I told you in the car."

"Who should drive first?" Alex asked.

"I'm driving first," Elise said. "The first leg is through the mountains. It's been a long time since I drove such a hot car. I'm actually looking forward to it."

x-x-x-x-x


	18. Holding Out For a Hero

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_I actually listened to Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero about a thousand times when I was writing this chapter, lol. But I think that it fits. Alex and Chuck Junior don't think that they're heroes. They are just a couple of guys doing what they have to do. Elise was always the weakest of the agents. She always depended on her brains – and her body - rather than her physical spy skills. Now she's in charge. Indeed, she is the only hope. Can she mold her only assets - two inexperienced boys - into a kick-ass team of warriors – in twenty hours?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Holding Out For a Hero**

x-x-x-x-x

Alex had never been so scared in his life. He couldn't see Chuck Junior in the back seat – and he wasn't about to take his eyes off the horror that was the road in front of him long enough to look back there. But if the high pitch of his voice was any indication, he was just as freaked out.

"Sonofabitch," Alex said as he hung on for dear life. "I knew that we were going to be risking our lives on this mission. I just thought it was going to be after we got there. Not in the first hour on the road."

Elise just laughed at them – as she downshifted to pass an SUV - going down a mountain – in the middle of a hairpin curve – at a hundred-thirty miles per hour. Okay, it might not have been a hundred and thirty – but damn. "Relax guys," Elise said. "I may not be good at many things but this is actually one of my strengths. I was a driving instructor at the CIA academy. We're in a hurry, right? Besides, I love this car."

Elise could see Sparky's white face in the rear view mirror. She knew that she had to quickly turn these innocent young men into fearless warriors for them to have any chance. "Look – guys," she said. "I need you to listen to me. There is only one way to approach a mission like this. And that's by telling yourself that you're not going to survive. You'd sacrifice your life for Kate, wouldn't you Alex?"

"Of course," Alex immediately said.

"Sparky?" Elise asked.

Chuck Junior paused for just a moment longer that Alex. But there could be no mistaking the resolve in his voice. "Yes," he said.

"Me too," Elise said. "So what's the worst that can happen? We sacrifice our lives trying to save her. That's not all that bad. So what is there to be afraid of?"

Elise could sense the mood in the car change. "No more fear," she said firmly. "We live this next day like it will be our last. They may have a lot of resources aligned against us. They have men, weapons, and a fortress. But the poor bastards don't have a clue what is coming for them. They are going to regret the day that they messed with us - because we have a weapon that is very, very powerful. We have nothing left to lose. That makes us invincible. So we're going to absolutely kick their ass – and we're going to laugh at them while we're doing it. Nobody messes with our family and lives to tell about it. Screw it. Maybe we're going to die today. But we're going to take a lot of them with us – and maybe give some people that we love very much a chance. We leave nothing on the table. No regrets. No fear. Do we have a deal?"

Elise could see Sparky nod in the mirror. His face had the same grim determination as Alex's. If the bad guys could have seen it, they would run for their lives. "Deal," Alex said.

"Good," Elise said with a grin. "Now somebody find something on the fucking radio. It helps me to drive fast."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat restlessly in her cell. She had given up pacing about an hour ago. At least Janice was next to her. But Janice was the only one she could see. "What do you think that they want?" Sarah finally asked.

"I don't know anymore," Janice said. "For them to kidnap a sitting United States Senator, they must know that there is no turning back from that. They can't possibly be thinking of letting us live. If they get caught, they're dead."

"How do you think that Katie is doing?" Sarah asked. Her words were so soft that Janice had to strain to hear her. "I never wanted her to get mixed up with this life."

"I think that Katie is a lot stronger than you might think," Janice said just as softly. "You would have been so proud, Sarah. She may only be twenty-one – but she handled those professional interviewers like she had been doing it for twenty-one years. She made them look foolish."

"I am incredibly proud," Sarah said. "I just hope that I get to tell her."

Suddenly he appeared in front of Sarah's cell. "Oh, don't worry," he said with a gloating smirk. "You'll get to see your daughter again. In fact you'll get to watch her die."

Sarah set her jaw. She knew instinctively that he was just trying to provoke her. "Okay, Shaw," she said. "Why am I not surprised that you're behind this? You've gone too far this time."

"We'll see," Shaw sneered. "You're not in a real good position to be making threats. As a matter of fact, I would think that you might be a little nicer to me - maybe even a lot nicer. Your whole team is in my custody. Who is going to save you?"

While they were talking, one of Shaw's men walked up to where he was standing. "Sir," he quietly said. "I'm afraid that we have some bad news. Agent Walters and the boys have escaped. We found our men's bodies inside of Walter's house. No sign of them. The Bartowski Porsche is also missing."

"Damn," Shaw muttered. "They are heading to Denver to hook up with Walter's husband. Make sure they don't get there."

The man turned and left without comment.

Sarah forced a grin onto her face. Unfortunately, Shaw was probably right. Elise was probably heading to Denver to get Joe's help. That would be the smart play. After all, what could Elise and three boys do against such a large and organized force? But she knew that she couldn't let him see any fear in her eyes. So she tried to duplicate his gloating smirk. "You were saying?" she asked.

x-x-x-x-x

It was Sparky's turn to drive. They were well out of the mountains. They were now in the boring flat desert. But that also meant that there was no reason not to air the car out. After all, it was one of the fastest production cars made. Might as well see what it could do, right? The only danger was a State Trooper seeing them and pulling them over. But Elise assured him that she could get them out of even that. After all, she was a CIA officer. At least, she still had an ID. And this was a national security issue, right?

Alex was in the back seat sleeping. He was getting ready to drive the next shift.

"Elise," Chuck Junior said. "Can I ask you a question?"

Elise smiled at the lack of the 'Aunt' before her name. Sparky must have taken her little talk to heart. "Of course," she said. "You can ask me anything."

Chuck Junior paused for a long moment. Clearly he was struggling with if he should ask her. "This guy Shaw wants revenge against Mom for something that happened on her Red Test," he finally said with a sigh. "What is a Red Test?"

"A Red Test is the last thing that you have to do to become an agent," Elise said. "You have to prove that you're willing to kill someone. Apparently, your mom was assigned to kill Shaw's wife for her Red Test. I have no idea why. That's a shame. It really wasn't her fault."

"Who was your Red Test?" Chuck Junior asked.

Elise paused for a long moment. She knew that Sparky had long ago put her on a pedestal. He clearly had a huge crush every since she could remember. It was beyond cute. But now he was a man. Could he handle the unvarnished truth? "I never did one," she finally said. "I wasn't the ideal trainee. I was such a lousy shot - there was no way I could have passed those tests. So I had to do something else."

"Something else?" Chuck Junior asked.

"Yes, Sparky," Elise said with a sigh. "Something else. I had to use my other assets. Female spies are trained to use their bodies to get men to do things for you. So I went to an instructor. I told him that I would be his plaything for the entire weekend if he would fake my Red Test for me. It was a very long weekend for me. He definitely got his money's worth, if you know what I mean. It's actually kind of ironic. I faked it with him and he faked it for me. But I became a real agent."

Elise looked over at him – and smiled. She could see the fire quickly rising up his neck. "Sparky," she said. "That's not really what you wanted to say, is it? Why don't you ask me the question that you really wanted to ask me? No fear, remember?"

Chuck Junior just stared at the road. "I…" he started. "I… umm… I was wondering… Oh screw it. I'm just going to say it. I was wondering if you knew how crazy I am about you."

Elise just smiled. That took a lot of guts for him to say. So she placed her hand over his that was resting on the gear shift handle. Gently because he just had the cast removed yesterday. "Of course I know," she said. "I've always thought it was really sweet. But Sparky, come on, you've had dozens of girlfriends. That Jennifer girl that you had at the lake on the Forth of July could have been a model. That bikini she was wearing bordered on indecent. Robbie and Bryce couldn't stop staring at her. Joe might have even taken a peek or two himself. Girls are standing in line to go out with you. You realize that nothing can ever happen between us, right?"

"I know," Chuck Junior said quickly. "Elise, I'm not even talking about anything romantic between us. I know that's a little on the creepy side. I realize that we're family. You're married. You have a kid. I love Joe and Robby too. I'm not asking for anything from you that you can't give. But if we're going to die today then I need you to know something."

Elise just nodded for him to continue.

"I need for you to know that you're everything that I would ever look for," Chuck Junior continued. "I mean I just found out today how big of a hero you are. But even before that - you're funny and smart and witty and just plain nice. You're incredibly beautiful, yet easy to be around. You're one of those rare women who are just as attractive in jeans and a sweat shirt throwing a football around as in an evening gown going to a fancy ball. And, Elise, your smile simply lights up the room. All of the guys may have been looking at Jennifer – but the honest truth is – I would blow my brains out if I had to spend much more time with her. I couldn't wait for that weekend to be over. I've never once been bored being around you. That Jennifer may have been very pretty – and, yes, she could really fill out a bikini – but she knew it. And she kept demanding that you remind her how pretty she was every ten minutes. Can you imagine her ever picking up a football? That's my problem, I guess. I keep comparing the girls that I go out with to you – and that's why they don't ever last very long. Joe is the luckiest man that I know."

Elise didn't even try to blink the tears out of her eyes. That would have been futile. So she just let them flow down her cheeks as she struggled to gain her composure. "Wow, Sparky," she finally was able to get out. "That is, without a doubt, the nicest thing that anybody has ever said to me."

"I hope that this doesn't make things weird," Chuck Junior said.

"Why would things be weird?" Elise asked. "Sparky, I held you in the hospital the day you were born. I've watched you grow up from a baby to a boy. And now you're a man. It happened right before my eyes. I'm somewhat of an expert at this. So trust someone who knows - you are an incredible catch. Keep looking. Your girl is out there. I promise. And when you find her, you'll just know. Don't settle for anything less."

"I'm afraid," Chuck Junior said. "I know that you said not to have any fear. But I'm afraid. I'm not afraid of fighting. I'm not even afraid to die. I'm afraid that I'm going to let you down."

"Sparky," Elise said. "You're not going to let me down. You couldn't possibly. I've loved you since the day you were born. And when the time comes, you're going to turn into a warrior. You'll see. Trust me. Being a hero is in your blood."

x-x-x-x-x

They had Chuck and Kate in the same cell. They kept Chuck secured to the chair. Probably because they were afraid of what the Intersect could do. Every once in a while, they would come in and let him use the bathroom. And naturally, they had someone standing there with a gun at Kate's head while he was free.

"Not too courageous,' Kate said to Chuck as they were finishing securing him. "Are they, Dad? I mean, all these big strong men, afraid of one guy?"

"So," the man said that had been holding the gun. "Big strong men, huh? Sounds like our lovely lady is getting a little lonely." He took the back of his hand and semi-gently stroked the side of Kate's cheek. "So how about it, sweet cheeks? I'd be glad to help you out."

To Kate's credit she didn't back away. After all, that's what he wanted – to see that he had intimidated her. So she just smiled. "Sorry, stud," she said. "I'm holding out for a hero."

Chuck tried to keep the laugh in – but he failed miserably. It came out pretty wet.

The man was clearly taken aback – for a moment. "Be careful," he said. "Heroes don't often live to tell about it."

The man that had just finished securing Chuck sneered. "Knock off the grab ass crap," he said. "You know that we're on high alert every since Walters and the boys escaped."

As soon as they left, Kate ran over and threw her arms around Chuck's neck. "Did you hear that, Dad? Elise and the guys escaped. They are coming for us."

Of course the Intersect had already processed the information. The safe thing would be for Elise to contact Beckman and then drive her and the boys to Denver to connect with Joe. Perhaps Beckman could call in a favor and help somehow. But he also knew Elise. She was a hero among heroes. She was willing to be bold, reckless even. And an attack was the last thing these guys would be expecting. But how would she know where they were? Of course, Chuck knew that he couldn't let Kate get her hopes up. "Katie," he said softly. "How would they even know where we are? We don't even know."

"I don't know," Kate said. "I just know that they will. Alex will find a way." Then she just whispered to herself. "Come on, Alex," she said. "Sweetie, I need a hero."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was driving. He actually had been for some time. They were now in the grassy plains. Well, they would have been grassy if they hadn't been covered in wind swept, now dirty snow. The sun was just about to come up over the horizon. Elise was just waking up from her nap in the passenger seat. Chuck Junior was in the back seat. If his snoring was any indication, he was still very much sound asleep.

As soon as Elise was fully awake, she just sat and studied Alex's face for a long moment. "You're thinking about her," she finally said. "Aren't you?"

Alex didn't turn to look at her. "I've known her for six weeks," he finally said. "We've been together for about a week. I used to laugh at people who said they were in love and the silly things they would do. But it feels like my life began a week ago. It's like I've known her forever. It's the first time in my life I've ever been in love. I didn't know what it felt like. I didn't know that it could hurt so much. I can't imagine my life without seeing her smile."

"That's sweet," Elise said softly. "Alex, she really loves you too. It's actually hard to imagine Kate being like this. She was always so stand-offish with men. She was with Paul for four years and when you saw them together, you would never imagine that they were a couple. I've been with them for weeks at a time – but I've never once seen them kiss. The first time that she told me about you, I knew that it was different. At first, I thought it was a rebound thing. But the way that she talked about you, Alex. You're the one. That's why we're doing this, right? So you two can be together – and live the life that you were meant to live."

"Yeah," Alex said.

"No fear, remember?" Elise said gently. "Kate needs you to be a warrior."

"I'm not afraid," Alex said. "Not of them anyway. I'll gladly fight a thousand of them. But…"

"But what?" Elise asked. "Come on, Alex. Say it."

Alex couldn't keep his voice from breaking. "But," he finally got out. "I just hope that she's still alive."

x-x-x-x-x


	19. The Trojan Horse

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay. Elise has her team of warriors ready to charge into hell. But what does she do with them? After all, three people aren't going to storm a facility with fifty trained agents inside. She needs a plan. And unfortunately, her main planner, Chuck, is unavailable. But Elise is pretty smart. Let's see what she can come up with on her own._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Trojan Horse**

x-x-x-x-x

Diane Beckman had always been a Type A personality. Most high ranking military officers were. It typically led to all kinds of medical problems for them. So when she retired, Diane made a conscious decision to try to get more mellow. After all, there weren't any life or death situations to deal with on a daily basis anymore. She even went as far as to read some books on meditation. She even tried it a few times.

But all that relaxation crap went out the window the instant that Bryce called. This was now war. Total and complete war. She had never cared for this Shaw character much anyway.

Fortunately, General Beckman still had a lot of contacts in active duty. It wasn't hard to contact the commander of a nearby base and ask him to get a force together and see what in the hell was going on at Red Mountain. Especially since there was the very real possibility that a United States Senator was being held there against her will. After all, the military needed all the friends in congress that they could get.

So General Beckman was quickly promised that someone would be sent ASAP. It would take a few hours to assemble and brief the force. And a few hours more to actually get to Red Mountain. But rest assured, they were on their way.

x-x-x-x-x

Elise and the boys stood in the woods beside the road. Elise had pulled the car off the main road to a place where it would be out of sight.

"What are we doing?" Alex asked impatiently.

"Red Mountain is about a mile ahead," Elise said.

"Okay," Alex said. "Let's go."

"We have to plan on how to get in," Elise said with a laugh. "Did you think we would go knock on the front door?"

"Well," Alex said. "Actually, I thought we would shoot our way through the front door."

Elise looked at Alex for a moment – and decided that he was serious. "That would be heroic, Alex," she said as gently as she could. "But it would also be suicide. We can't help Kate if they simply shoot us by the front door. There are only three of us. There are probably fifty or more of them. We need an edge."

"Okay," Alex said. "You're the professional. What should we do?"

"Did you ever read the story of the Trojan Horse?" Elise asked.

"Of course," Alex said. "Should we build a shrine to Shaw's manhood – and get inside?"

Elise grinned. "From what I hear of him, that might work," she said. "But it would take too long. No, a facility with this many men needs lots of supplies. How do you think that they get those supplies?"

"I don't know," Alex said. "Trucks, I suppose."

"Exactly," Elise said. "We need to get in one of those trucks."

"How do we do that?" Chuck Junior asked. "I don't imagine they are going to stop here and let us in."

"Maybe," Elise said. "But then again, you might be surprised at what they will do. I didn't want to tell you guys – but I brought a pretty powerful weapon with us. It's a weapon that has destroyed much larger facilities than this."

"Thank God," Chuck Junior sighed. "It's a Stinger missile, right? Is it is the car? I'll go get it."

"No," Elise laughed. "It's not a Stinger missile – and it's not in the car. I'm afraid that it's not that kind of weapon."

"Okay," Chuck Junior said, obviously confused. "What kind of weapon is it?"

"It is much more powerful than a stupid Stinger missile," Elise said. "It's actually sort of ironic. This particular weapon was developed at this very facility. Let me show you." Smiling at the guy's confused look, Elise very slowly and methodically took off her jacket. Both of the guy's faces immediately turned red as they saw her form fitting t-shirt. It wasn't transparent. But it also didn't hide anything. It was very, very clear that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Elise couldn't keep in the laugh as she saw the guy's faces. "I think they might stop," she said. "At least as long as you two lugs get out of sight. Oh, and assuming the driver is a man. What do you think?"

Elise kept laughing at the guy's embarrassed silence. "Okay guys," she said. "This would be the point where you stop staring at my chest and actually get out of sight. For the record, I'm not excited. It's just a little chilly out here without my jacket. If Robbie ever hears this story…"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was getting very worried. It had been a few hours since Shaw left. And there had been no contact – with anybody. There were clearly two guards assigned to the floor. Every once in a while they would walk past the cells together to make sure everything was okay – but they never said anything. Janice mocked them by waiving at them in a friendly way each time – but they never responded.

But this next time the guards walked past was substantially different. There was a third set of footsteps - because they had Casey between them. They took him to the cell directly across the aisle from Sarah. After they put him in the cell, they removed his cuffs.

"Casey," Sarah said as soon as the guards wordlessly left. "What happened?"

"They jumped me just as soon as I left your place," Casey said. "I called Sparky with my phone in my pocket. I don't know if they heard it or not. There were five of them. Two took me to the airport and brought me here. The other three were going for Elise and then the boys."

"Where is here?" Janice asked. "Do you know?"

"They called it Red Mountain," Casey said. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Damn," Janice said. "Of course. We should have recognized this place. Red Mountain is an old CIA facility. It was closed years ago. Sarah and I had seduction training here."

"We must be in the lockup area on the third floor," Sarah said. "We heard them say that Elise and the boys escaped. The boys must have heard you and went to rescue Elise. That was really brave of them. If they heard the name Red Mountain, Elise would know where that is. Do you really think…"

"Yeah," Janice quickly said. "I do. Elise has guts. I mean, she can't shoot and hit the broad side of a barn… but the kid has guts – and brains. You can't deny her that."

"Her body ain't half bad either," Casey said with a short laugh. When he saw Janice's look, he just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just saying..."

Their conversation was quickly interrupted when Shaw walked down the hallway. "Well," he said. "It looks like the old team is back together. I'd bet that you'd like to know what's going on?"

"Of course," Sarah said. "More than that, we'd like to get out of here – and kick your ass around the room."

"Maybe later," Shaw said with a smirk. "Agent Walker. Approximately thirty years ago, you were assigned a Red Test. Your assignment was Evelyn Shaw. She was my wife. I miss her terribly."

"Okay," Sarah said. "I understand. Daniel, I'm very sorry that your wife was killed. But I was just following orders. And if you want revenge – why not just kill me? Let everyone else go."

"Sorry," Shaw said. "Killing you simply isn't good enough. You need to suffer."

Shaw pulled out his gun and fired at Casey. The shot impacted him in the shoulder area. The force knocked Casey violently against the wall and then to the floor. "Without treatment that shot is fatal," he said. "It's going to take about four hours for him to bleed out. When he's dead, I'll pick someone else to be next. Once you've watched everyone that you love die, then I'll deal with you. Not before."

x-x-x-x-x

The truck driver nearly ran off the road when he saw Elise standing there. There was no question about stopping. "Hey, little lady," he said through the rolled down window. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

Elise knew the drill. These guys may have looked like a regular tandem truck driving team. But they were really low level CIA agents. The CIA didn't miss many opportunities to be secure. And they really didn't trust civilians. So she held up her badge. "Agent Green," she said. "I'm trying to report to Red Mountain. My car broke down. Do you think that maybe you could take a look at it?"

The driver looked at Elise critically. "Agent Green?" he asked. "I've never heard of you. Who are you to report too?"

"I'm reporting directly to Director Daniel Shaw," Elise said. "I just talked to him. He's getting pretty lonely – if you know what I mean. I'm sure that he would consider it a personal favor for you to help me out."

The men just looked at each other. She was plainly sleeping with the Director. After all, rank has its privileges. "Yes, ma'am," one of them said. "Let's take a look."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey could feel himself slowly getting weaker. As soon as Shaw had left, Sarah and Janice started shouting instructions to him to get pressure on his wound. But there was no way to stop the bleeding. So he asked Sarah to give him and Janice some privacy. The best that she could do was to turn away and cover her ears.

Janice started crying immediately. "Don't you dare say goodbye to me," she sobbed. "This isn't over. We're going to get you out of there. You just hang on."

"I know," Casey said. "I'm not giving up. I just want you to know how much I love you. The last twenty years have been the best of my life. I wouldn't change a thing. I hope that you wouldn't either."

"I wouldn't change anything either," Janice said as she wiped her eyes with her hand. "Except maybe running for the Senate. It's put a lot of pressure on you. I'm so sorry."

"Are you kidding?" Casey asked. "I'm so proud of you that I could spit. You're going to be President. I especially wouldn't change that. We always dedicated our lives to the greater good. What better way than to be President? Promise me that you'll be President – no matter what happens."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the men got out of the truck to look at Elise's car, it was child's play for the guys to tranq them. They took their weapons, zip tied their arms and legs, and put them in the trailer.

Alex quickly climbed into the driver's seat. It was the first time that his face actually looked happy on the entire trip. "I've always wanted to drive a big rig," he said. "Every since I was a little boy."

Elise and Chuck Junior climbed in the passenger seat.

"Somebody has to stay out front and create a diversion," Elise said.

"How?" Alex asked. "What sort of diversion?"

"The easiest thing would be to take some weapons and start firing," Elise said. "They will think that they're under attack. All of their attention will be diverted out here. You two will then be able to get in, hopefully undetected. It's going to be dangerous. I think that I'll have to do it."

"No way," Chuck Junior said. "You're the only one who knows the building layout. I'll stay."

"I agree that it can't be Elise," Alex said. "But I'll stay. It's your family."

"No way," Chuck Junior said. "Elise has a son and a husband to take care of. You have my sister to take care of. I don't have… Look, I'm staying. That's all there is to it."

Elise looked at him for a long moment. "Sparky," she finally said. "I know that we're willing to die today but please don't throw your life away taking some foolish chance because you haven't found the right girl yet. That's just silly. Candidates are forming a line as we speak. You're only twenty. She's out there. Promise me?"

Chuck Junior just nodded.

"Okay," Elise said. "Take this gun plus the ones we took off the drivers. Find a spot where you can see the front entrance but you have some protection. Give us ten minutes. Then the next person that comes out of that door, shoot at. They will return fire. Your job is just to keep firing enough to keep them occupied and thinking that all three of us are out here. You have enough ammunition to last about a half hour. We're going to sneak in while you have them occupied, free the team, and ambush those bastards. If you run out of ammo before we get back to you – you surrender. Do you understand?"

Chuck Junior just nodded.

Elise wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed so tightly that he thought he was going to pass out. "I love you, Sparky," she whispered. "I always have and I always will. Remember what I told you? When the time comes, you'll become a warrior? Well, the time has come."

"I love you too," Chuck Junior said. "Don't worry about me. Tell everyone I said hi – and that I love them."

Alex held out his fist. "Good luck, buddy," he said. "It's time to become warriors."

Chuck Junior just grinned as he bumped fists. "It's time to kick some ass," he said. "Take care of my sister. I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

x-x-x-x-x

Once Alex pulled the semi into the warehouse, they were able to surprise and tranq the two men that were assigned to help unload the truck. As soon as they heard the shots, they knew that Sparky was executing his assignment. So Elise and Alex found the building entrance. Since everyone was called up to the main entrance to defend against the attack, they were quickly able to surprise the lone man that was left guarding the warehouse entrance. He was able to slash Alex on the arm with his knife before he was subdued. Just like the truck drivers before, they zip tied his arms and legs. Then they gagged him.

Elise noticed the blood stain growing on Alex's arm. "Are you okay?" she asked as she led Alex to the stairs.

"I'm okay," Alex said. "I don't think it's very deep. Let's go."

"The lockup facilities are on the third floor," Elise softly said as they climbed. "They would use them for prisoner and interrogation training. Hopefully that's where they are keeping our folks. The stairway is in the middle of the building. You go right and I'll go left. Shoot anybody that you see."

Elise paused before she opened the third floor door and hugged him. "If I never get another chance," she said. "I want to tell you how proud I am of you. You're a kick ass warrior. Kate is very, very lucky."

"Thanks," Alex said. "I'm proud to be fighting with you. I'll never forget you. I hope that you're planning on coming to our wedding."

Elise just looked at him. "You're kidding, right?" she asked. "You couldn't keep me away. I'm kinda hoping that Kate asks me to be in it."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was having a hard time keeping Janice from panicking. Casey tried for a long time to keep talking to them but they hadn't heard a word from him in some time now.

"I'm going to lose him," Janice sobbed.

Sarah was trying to be as soothing as she could possibly be. "There is no reason to give up hope," she said firmly. "You can hear that gunfire as well as I can. Someone is attacking."

"If that's Elise," Janice said sadly. "They've been discovered. That means they'll be joining us very soon."

And actually, the more that Sarah thought about it, she had to agree with Janice. It caused her heart to sink. If that was Elise and the boys, it was foolish to try and attack openly. They wouldn't last ten minutes. "Come on Elise," she said, more to herself than anybody. "I thought that you were a lot smarter than that."

"Thanks," Elise said with a sly grin as she walked up and looked into Sarah's cell. "I mean in the unlikely event that was actually a compliment, of course. Are you ready to get out of there?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Kate could plainly hear the gunfire. That sounded hopeful – as much as it was. There was a lot of scurrying for a minute as all the guards went someplace. Clearly they were responding to whoever was firing. Well, all of the guards except obviously one. Kate knew that she was in trouble as soon as only one guard came into the cell - especially given which one of the guards that it was.

"Well, Sweet Cheeks," he said with an obvious leer. It was clear that he had been waiting for this opportunity. "It's looks like we have a few minutes to be alone. Thanks to whatever moron is outside. Are you done holding out for a hero? Things would go a lot easier for you if you had a friend."

Kate tried very hard to not show him how scared she was – but she could see the look in his eyes. It was very obvious what he had in mind. "Don't tell me," she said sarcastically. "You'd like to become my very intimate friend."

"Exactly," he said. "I think that I could make your stay with us a lot more comfortable… if we were friends."

"Let's see," Kate said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You want me to get friendly with you – right here on the cement floor – in front of my dad. That sounds really tempting – but I think that I'll pass."

Chuck couldn't take listening to this. He could also tell what this sick bastard had in mind. In fact, he became as enraged as he had ever been in his life. "I'm not a violent man," he said through gritted teeth. "But I swear to you – if you so much as look like you're going to touch her – I'm going to splatter your brains all over that wall."

But the guard just grinned at him. "Okay, Daddy," he said. "You've got yourself a deal. I accept your challenge. I'll hold up my end. Let's see if you can hold up yours."

Then he walked over to where Kate was standing. "Sorry, Sweet Cheeks," he said with an evil grin. "Daddy just dared me. How can I let such a challenge pass? I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror." He then grabbed Kate by the throat and forced her against the wall.

Kate instinctively tried to push the man away. "Please," she said. "Don't do this."

But he just tightened his grip until Kate couldn't breathe. "Put your arms down to your side," he demanded.

Kate really didn't have much choice. She tried to fight – but he was far too big and strong for her. And she couldn't breathe. So after a moment she just let her arms go limp and stopped fighting.

"All the way," he growled.

Kate could quickly feel the blackness overtaking her. So she let her arms fall to her side. The guard relaxed his grip. Kate knew what was about to happen – especially when he started kissing her. There was just nothing that she could do about it. She was too busy trying to catch her breath. So she simply let her body go limp and closed her eyes at the horror. She could feel one of his hands groping her breast through her clothes. The other was unbuttoning the top button of her blouse.

But just as suddenly as the attack came, Kate couldn't feel the man at all. _Did he suddenly get a conscience?_ Pure surprise caused her to open her eyes. The guard was lying on the floor at her feet in a heap. Three darts were protruding from his back. And then she saw the very best sight of her young life. Alex – her Alex - was standing there. The first thing that Kate noticed was how tired he looked. He clearly hadn't showered or shaved in a while. But he looked absolutely perfect. He was also holding a gun. That was a definite plus.

For Alex's part, he was too relieved to feel any emotion except pure joy. She was alive. He had made it in time. So, sure – this scumbag that was about to rape her would have to be dealt with. But that could wait for a few minutes – until he was sure that she was safe. "I'll thank you to take your hand off my fiancé's chest," was all he could bring himself to say with a broad smile directed at her. "Go find your own girl."

x-x-x-x-x


	20. The Big Rock

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_So far Elise's plan has worked brilliantly. But can she save Chuck Junior? He's out there all alone on a semi-suicide mission. And how about Casey? Janice is plenty frantic._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Big Rock**

x-x-x-x-x

Kate had to fight the overwhelming urge to run to Alex and throw her arms around him. But they were still in grave danger.

Alex took the keys from the unconscious guard and handed them to Kate. "Free your dad," he said. "I'm going to find Elise. Hopefully, she has found the rest of the team."

"Please don't leave me," Kate said. "Not ever again."

"Don't worry," Alex said. "I won't – ever again. I'll be back in thirty seconds."

Alex ran down the hallway. He could see Elise standing in front of a cell. When he got there, he found Sarah and Senator Casey.

"We need to find some keys," Elise said frantically. "Casey has been shot."

"We have some," Alex said. "The guard was in with Kate and her dad. Kate is freeing him right now. I'll go get the keys."

When Alex got back to Kate's cell, Chuck was just finishing securing the guard.

"Let's go," he said to Kate. "Your mom and Janice are down the hall. I think that the Colonel has been shot."

Chuck took the still unconscious guard's weapon. "Don't worry," he said to him facetiously. "I'll be right back. After all, we had a deal. You held up your end. Now it's time for me to hold up mine."

When they got down to the others, Sarah was waiting – not all that patiently. They quickly unlocked the three cells. Janice immediately went to check on Casey. He was barely conscious – but his pulse was still strong. So that was a good sign.

"Come on," Elise said. "We still have some work to do. We have to go save Sparky."

"Where's Sparky?" Janice asked.

"He's out front," Elise said. "Do you hear all that gunfire? That's him creating a diversion."

"By himself?" Sarah snapped. "You left him all alone out there to create a diversion?"

Elise turned briskly to face Sarah. There could be no mistaking the anger in her face. "Hey," she said. "There were three of us. Me and two kids to attack an armed facility. How many should I have spent to create a fucking diversion, Miss Super Agent? Let's go. He's not going to last much longer."

Chuck knew that this was an argument that he needed to stay out of. Sarah would calm down once she thought about it. So he handed Sarah the weapon that he had taken from the guard. Elise handed Janice the weapon that she had taken from the guard downstairs.

"We don't have any more real guns," Alex said to Chuck. "I have an extra tranq gun."

Chuck just shook his head. "I don't want a weapon,' he said. "It would just be something to bog me down."

"Okay," Alex said. "Let's go. Sparky is in trouble."

"No, Alex," Sarah said. "You and Kate need to stay here. Kate, you need to keep pressure on Casey's wound. We need to slow the bleeding as much as possible. Alex, we need you to protect them. Shoot anyone who comes down this hall and ask questions later. We'll yell before we come back."

Alex nodded. He really wanted to go help Sparky. But Sarah's order left little room for interpretation. He had never heard that tone from Sarah before – but he knew that it wasn't a request.

Sarah turned to Elise and grabbed her hand. "I'm so sorry," she said. "You're right."

Elise just shook her head. "For right now, let me keep my rage," she said as she poked her finger into Sarah's chest. "It will help me fight. We'll make up later. But you need to understand something. You don't love him a bit more than I do. Now let's go save his heroic ass."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior's position was getting more and more desperate by the minute. At first, it was fairly easy. It took a few minutes before they were even organized enough to return any fire. He was even pretty sure that he had shot three of them. And hidden behind the outcropping of big rocks, whatever shots they were taking simply were stopped harmlessly by his cover.

But now, there were clearly more and more bad guys. The shots were whizzing around him so frequently that he couldn't dare lift his head to look. He was now reduced to firing blindly. Splinters of rock were regularly flying at him. One had even caused a gash in his left arm. But that was actually a good thing. He knew that he was doing his job. The more men that were out here trying to kill him meant that Alex and Elise would have to face less inside.

Chuck Junior knew that it was only a matter of a few minutes before they would flank his exposed right side. When that happened, he would lose his cover of rocks. And he would be either forced to surrender or killed.

It was hard in the mountains to hear where the shots were coming from. After all, the echo made it seem like shots were being fired in all directions. But Chuck Junior could swear that some shots sounded like they were coming from his right. If that was true, he was done for. So he tried to look over there. Indeed, he could see flashes – but when he looked closer, he could see that it was his Uncle Joe. He even saw him wave.

Chuck Junior really didn't know what to do. He had no idea how Joe got there, how he knew where they were, or who he was shooting at. But it would be wrong to look a gift horse in the mouth, right? So he just waved back.

x-x-x-x-x

"Oh my God," Kate said. "Alex, sweetie, you're bleeding."

"I know," Alex said. "The guard at the entrance had a knife. Don't worry. I don't think that it's too bad."

"Take off your shirt," Kate said. "I want to look at it. I would help you but I need to keep pressure on Uncle Casey's shoulder."

Alex very gingerly took off his shirt. Indeed, there was about a three inch gash on his left upper arm.

"That's going to need some stitches," Kate said.

"That's not going to work," Alex said. "I'm afraid of needles." He was trying to keep the mood light – but it was actually true. He didn't like needles much.

But Kate didn't laugh. "I knew that you'd come," she whispered. "I told my dad. I said that my Alex would find a way – and you did."

"Okay, Katie," Alex said softly. "It's not time for that yet. If we go there right now, I'm going to break down and lose my edge. We're still in danger - your brother and Colonel Casey, especially. We need to stay on guard for just a while longer."

"Okay," Kate smiled. "I can wait. But you just wait until we're safe and I get you alone. Then your ass is mine."

Alex laughed. "You can't scare me," he said. "After all, now I'm a warrior."

Kate knew that it wasn't time to get emotional. So she blinked the tears out of her eyes. "You look so tired," she said.

"That's funny,' Alex said, "because you've never looked more beautiful. You look like you're getting ready for a model photo shoot. You always do. Throw on a bikini and you could be on a calendar. But actually, I've never felt better in my whole life. I'm just so happy to see you again. I was afraid that I never would."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah quickly developed her strategy for dealing with any potential adversaries that they came across. Shoot anybody in the head who looked like they might possibly pose a threat and don't bother to ask any questions. She and Janice had already executed that strategy about a dozen times. They had accumulated quite a cache of weapons taken from the bodies.

"Keep your eyes out for Shaw," Sarah warned the team as they cautiously worked their way towards the main entrance. "He's a sneaky bastard – and he's mine."

"It's a good sign that we're still hearing gunfire," Elise said. "Sparky must be holding his own."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior had no idea where Joe came from. Last thing that he knew, Joe was in Denver – with Robbie. But one thing that he had to admit, him being there was really helping. Not only did it draw half the fire away from him – but now the bad guys had to worry about shots coming from two different angles. That meant that they wouldn't be able to flank then nearly as easily.

Still things weren't going all that well. Chuck Junior's arm was starting to hurt like hell. And he was almost out of ammo. Elise had told him to surrender when that happened. But that would just expose Joe. That would never do.

Fortunately, things didn't get that far. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an armored personnel carrier drove up the road – and stopped directly next to where Chuck Junior was crouched. As if by magic all the gunfire stopped. It left an eerie silence. Chuck Junior was just starting to think that he was imagining things when a window opened and a solder in uniform stuck his head out. The eagle insignia of a Colonel was clearly visible on his chest. "Son," he said. "Please identify yourself."

"Charles Bartowski Junior, sir," Chuck Junior replied smartly. At least he knew military protocol – thanks to his Uncle Casey.

"Thank goodness," the solder said. "My name is Colonel Blum. We've been looking for you. General Beckman sent us. Where are the other two members of your team?"

"They are inside, sir," Chuck Junior said. "I don't know their status. My friend Joe West is deployed approximately thirty yards to your right. We believe that several members of my extended family are being held here against their will."

"That's what I understand," Blum said. "Why don't you climb in here where it's safe while we find out what in the hell is going on at this God forsaken place?"

When Chuck Junior got to his feet, he noticed for the first time the formation of solders in full combat gear with their weapons trained towards the building. As soon as Chuck Junior was in the armored vehicle, Joe quickly followed.

Colonel Blum picked up a microphone. "Attention, unlawful inhabitants of this facility," he said over the loudspeaker. "This is Colonel Blum of the United States Army. You are under arrest. Immediately drop any weapons that you are holding and place your hands on top of your head. Anyone who disobeys that order will be treated as an enemy combatant in a field of war."

Of course, most of the men had already done that, even before Blum made his announcement. After all, they could plainly see the overwhelming force facing them. And none of them was all that eager to die.

The battle was over - almost .

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah and the team were almost to the front entrance when they heard the gunfire stop. For a horrible moment, they thought that it meant that Sparky had been captured – or killed. Then they heard the announcement. So they dropped their weapons and pushed their way outside. They put their hands on top of their heads – just to be sure that the solders didn't mistake them for enemies.

As soon as they were outside, Joe tapped Chuck Junior on the shoulder and pointed them out.

"Sir," Chuck Junior said. "There are several members of my family, including my parents. Permission to join them, sir?"

Blum just smiled. "Son," he said. "You don't need my permission. You're not in custody. Let's go talk to them."

As soon as they got out of the vehicle, they walked to where the team was standing. "Mr. Bartowski," Blum said. "Would you please introduce me to your team?"

It took Chuck Junior a long moment to realize that Blum was talking to him. After all, Mr. Bartowski was usually his dad. "Yes, sir," he finally replied. "These are my parents, Chuck and Sarah Bartowski. Senator Janice Beckman and Agent Elise West. You've already met her husband, Joe West."

Blum went directly to Janice. "Senator Casey," he said. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am. I've served with your husband. How is he?"

"Not well," Janice said. "He's been shot. He is still on the third floor with two other team members. Did you bring medical personnel?"

Blum was already barking orders for a medic to get to the third floor.

"We'd better go with them," Sarah said with a relieved grin. "We have a guard posted with shoot to kill orders."

x-x-x-x-x

The news was good on Casey. The medic started a blood transfusion right away. "There is nothing that looks life threatening here," she assured Janice. "I've ordered a medivac chopper. It should be arriving in thirty minutes or so."

Blum turned to Janice. "Senator Casey," he said. "I assume that you'll want to accompany the Colonel. Who will be in charge once you leave?"

Janice could hardly keep her voice from breaking from the relief with the news about Casey. "CIA Senior Agent Sarah Bartowski was always in charge," she replied.

Blum turned and looked at Sarah for a moment. Then the light of recognition went on. "Oh my God," he said. "You're Sarah Walker."

"I used to be," Sarah said with a smile. "It's been Bartowski for a long time now - twenty-two years, in fact. Have we met?"

"No, ma'am," Blum said. "But I certainly recognize the face and the name. I was stationed in Italy during the coup attempt. I mean no disrespect – but your face was pretty famous with the men at the time. You almost assuredly saved my life. I'm very honored to finally meet you, ma'am."

"Well, Colonel," Sarah said with a smile. "If I saved your life all of those years ago – today you totally paid me back. Let's call it even. For the record, I was treated very well on our base in Italy. There was no sign of disrespect. They were all very sweet. Could you have your men find Director Shaw and deliver him to me? He is our main perp."

"Of course, ma'am," Blum said.

"Thank you," Sarah said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some heroes to hug."

Sarah went directly to Chuck Junior. "Young man," she said firmly. "Are you out of your freaking mind? Do you know how close you just came to being killed? Explain yourself."

Chuck Junior just sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom," he said. "I just did what I had to do. And the honest truth is – I'm not really sorry. I'd do it all over again if I had too."

Sarah wrapped him up in a bear hug. "I know," she said. "I'm just teasing you. I've never, ever been as proud of anyone in my whole life. You're a hero."

Chuck Junior didn't know what to do. He normally would be very embarrassed by having his mom openly hugging him in front of other people. That was a pretty rare occurrence. After all, Mom didn't get this emotional often. And the longer that she held him – the more emotional she was getting. But he had to admit, it felt fantastic. So he simply squeezed her back, at least as hard as she was squeezing him.

"But, here's the deal," she finally sighed. "If you're going to insist on being a hero, you need to get some training. Otherwise you just get dead. I'm going to have Elise teach you some minimal skills – like maybe how to punch someone without breaking your hand. Maybe Joe can help."

"Why can't you teach me?" Chuck Junior asked. "Uncle Casey says that you're the best."

"Trust me, sweetie," Sarah said. "You don't want me teaching you any spy skills. I'm way too intense. Ask your dad. You'd end up just hating me. Elise will do a lot better job – and you'll enjoy it more."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck Junior smiled. "I really can't see me ever hating you. I do wish we could talk sometime. I'd really like to hear the story of your mission in Italy. I understand that you saved Europe."

Sarah grinned at him. "Trust me again," she said. "You don't want me to tell you that particular story either. We'd both be embarrassed. Maybe your dad can tell you someday. As soon as we can get away for a whole day, I promise to tell you all about me and your dad like I told Kate in Vegas. That's juicy enough. Okay?"

Chuck Junior just nodded.

"Now," Sarah said with a sigh. "Your arm is really bleeding. Let's get it looked at."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex's cut took eleven stitches. It's funny how dramatically your life can change. Two weeks ago, getting eleven stitches would have been a very traumatic experience that would have required at least a week of bed rest. Today, with Kate holding his hand, he barely felt a thing.

They were sitting on the bed in the open cell that Sarah had been previously held in. Kate had her head resting gently on his shoulder. She was gently kissing his neck. It may have been the very best feeling in the whole world.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked.

"Actually," Alex replied. "I'm a bit nervous – jumpy even."

"It's the antastedic," Kate said. "It will wear off."

"Trust me," Alex said. "It's not the antastedic. I need to talk to you."

Kate just showed a look of concern.

"You know," Alex began. "When we were driving here, all I could think about was what would happen if you were already gone. Katie, I never, ever want to feel like that again. So, I decided in the car that if I ever got the chance to talk to you again, I wouldn't waste it."

"Waste it? Kate asked.

"Yes," Alex said as he got up and then kneeled down on one knee in front of her. He took the box out of his pocket and opened it. "Katie, I know that this is quick. People are going to call us fools. But I don't care. I love you. I never want to be apart again – for the rest of our lives. I don't know how our lives together are going to work out. Hopefully, things might calm down a bit. But however they turn out - I can promise that I will always cherish you. Katie, will you marry me?'

Kate smiled – through her tears. "Well planned, check," she said. "Romantic, definitely a check there. Sappy, more than enough. Big rock, it looks like you have all the bases covered."

"Well?" Alex asked.

Kate laughed. "Of course," she said. "You're waiting for an answer. Yes, of course, yes. It seems like you're always taking care of me. I want you to know that you can depend on me to start taking care of you too. It may not seem like it. But you can depend on me as much as I depend on you."

"I love taking care of you," Alex said as he slid the ring on her finger.

When the kiss broke, Kate looked up. It seemed like there were a hundred people in the hall all looking directly at them. It looked like a crowd at a sporting event. So she did the natural thing. She held up her left hand – and stated the plainly obvious.

"Look, guys. We're engaged."

x-x-x-x-x


	21. Elise's Mission

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_I feel somewhat like the show. No, not just because my ratings have fallen off the cliff, lol. But just like the ultimate showdown between Shaw and Chuck was originally going to happen in Other Guy – my ultimate showdown between Shaw and Sarah was originally going to happen at Red Mountain. But I find that I have some more of the story to tell – so I gave myself a back six, lol. After all, Sparky deserves some happiness, right? The battle is over – for now. Only one thing remains to be done. Well, maybe a couple of things. Oh, and Elise has a new mission. This one is only slightly more dangerous than yesterday's._

_Some people have been asking me where Ellie is…_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Elise's Mission**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was finally getting his arm looked at. The medic was fairly concerned. She was still looking at it very critically when Elise came into the makeshift field clinic looking for him.

"Hey," she said. "How's the arm?"

"I'm not sure," Chuck Junior said. "She's looking pretty grim." But really, when he actually stopped to look at the young Second Lieutenant, it turned out that she was not that grim at all. She was really quite stunning – even without makeup. She had some amazingly pretty blue eyes. And while the plain green battle fatigues did a great job at hiding her figure – it was there. And you had to look close to see how pretty her blonde hair was that was tied up under her cap – but still. In point of fact, she was down right… ungrim.

The medic just sighed. "You still have some rock fragments imbedded in the wound, Mr. Bartowski," she said. "They look like they're in there pretty deep. I can't stitch you up until they're out."

"He's a pretty tough dude," Elise said with a grin. "Just take you knife and cut them out. I'll give him a stick to bite on. He's a warrior."

"That's what I understand," the medic replied. "Your boyfriend held off thirty men by himself with only two handguns? That's the bravest thing I've ever heard."

"Me too," Elise said as she grabbed his hand. "Except that he's not my boyfriend. He's actually nobody's boyfriend. The silly man thinks that he's not an unbelievable catch."

Chuck Junior's face immediately turned red. So he tried to change the subject to cover his embarrassment. "I saw you talking to Joe earlier, after you finally came up for air. How did he know where to come?"

"Hey," Elise said with a laugh. "What? Do you really think that you're the only hero in the family? Joe was a hero before you were even born. And since I haven't seen my husband in a week, a little kissing certainly isn't out of line. But he trained here too. He left as soon as Bryce called him. He dropped Robbie off at his mom's on the way. When he got close, he heard all of the gunfire and figured that we were in trouble. He followed the noise. Then he saw you."

"I'm glad he did," Chuck Junior said. "That's the only way I was able to survive."

"I'm glad he did too," Elise said as she squeezed his hand. "We can't lose you. Sparky, I can't lose you either."

Chuck Junior just smiled at her.

"Did you hear the news about your sister and Alex?" Elise asked.

Chuck Junior shook his head. "No," he said. "What happened?"

"They're engaged," Elise said. "He had a ring. He got down on one knee and proposed to her in front of God and everybody. It may be the most romantic thing I've ever seen. Your mom was crying at how romantic it was."

"My mom was crying?" Chuck Junior asked incredulously. "That must have really been some scene."

"She was bawling like a ten-year-old," Elise said with a grin. "Well, maybe not – but there were clearly tears running down her face. I might have actually had to blink away a couple of tears myself."

Chuck Junior smiled. "I'm happy for them," he said. "They deserve each other. I had my doubts at first – but he's really a great guy. Kate is lucky."

"I'd say they are both pretty lucky," Elise said. "Alex is a hero. Just like you are."

"Mr. Bartowski," the medic said with a sigh. "We really should take you to the base hospital. These rock fragments are pretty deep – and all I have here is local antastedic. It might hurt a bit."

"Lieutenant…" Chuck Junior paused and leaned over to read her name tag. "Lieutenant Moore, please stop calling me Mr. Bartowski. That's my dad. My friends call me Sparky."

"Okay, Sparky," she said. "I can do that - as long as you'll call me ma'am."

She laughed as soon as she saw Chuck Junior's look. "I'm just kidding," she said. "My name is Heather."

If Chuck Junior thought that her eyes were pretty before – he was bowled over when he saw her laugh. Heather was indeed very pretty – and that smile…

Elise laughed at Heather's joke. It was exactly something she would have said. _Hey, wait a minute_. Suddenly she noticed the undeniable chemistry flowing between them – and the light went on. "Tell me, Heather," she said. 'If Sparky here were to let you take out the fragments here instead of going to the hospital, well that would be pretty brave, wouldn't you agree?"

"Sure," Heather said. "It will smart a bit. I'll be as careful as I can but…"

"That would deserve a reward," Elise said. "Don't you think? Like, maybe… dinner?"

"Elise," Chuck Junior groaned. "What are you doing? I'm so sorry, Heather. Elise here has clearly made it her life's work to fix me up – and is currently being about as subtle as a car bomb."

"Well," Elise said sarcastically. "I've seen the women that you date. I think that you could use my help. Your Aunt Ellie is still trying to get you to go to Medical School, right? Heather here seems like a perfect fit. So, what do you say, Heather?" Elise ticked off the points on her fingers. "Just take a look at him. Tall, devilishly good looking, disarming smile, in UCLA on a full academic scholarship, perfect white teeth, unbelievably sweet, and now a genuine hero - tell me that he's not an incredible catch."

"This is embarrassing," Chuck Junior said with a side look at Elise. "Trust me, Heather - I can actually ask a woman out to dinner all on my own."

"I don't know," Heather said with a grin. "I might need you to prove that… Unless, of course, you're chicken. And, Elise, yes – you're right. Pending closer inspection, of course, he does appear to be quite the catch."

"Okay," Chuck Junior said with his own grin. "It sounds like a challenge has been thrown down. Heather, would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?"

"Tell me, Sparky," Heather said. "Would there possibly be dancing involved?"

"Okay, Heather," Chuck Junior said. "You drive a hard bargain. Sure. Would you also like to go dancing?"

"Yes, Sparky," Heather said. "I would. Assuming, of course, that you make it through the procedure alive. You do realize the closest restaurant that serves any dish besides muskrat is by the base – and that's about eighty miles away."

"That's actually good,' Elise said. "He can take the Porsche. It's parked down the road a mile. Tomorrow night – say six?"

"Tomorrow night at six will be fine," Heather said with a laugh, more to Elise than Chuck Junior. "Will you be coming along to help him order his meal? Or will it just be the two of us?"

x-x-x-x-x

Alex and Kate were awash in well wishers for quite some time. The medivac chopper had just arrived and they were getting ready to transport Casey to the base hospital. Since they had slowed the bleeding and had given him several transfusions, he had actually regained consciousness - enough that he was able to congratulate the happy couple. He even was able to kiss Kate – which may have actually been a first.

Janice walked up to Kate and threw her arms around her. "Congratulations, Katie," she said. "I'm so happy for you. You found yourself a real hero."

"Thanks, Aunt Janice," Kate said. "I'm happy for me too. I never thought that I could feel like this. Thank you for encouraging him. He's pretty shy."

"When do you think you're going to actually get married?" Janice asked. "Have you talked about a date?"

"We haven't set a date yet," Kate said. "We really haven't had a chance to discuss it. But it has to be fairly soon. We need to get it out of the way before the primary campaigns start up. The Iowa Caucus is less than thirteen months away. We have to organize fifty different state election committees. We really need the nomination process to be a slam dunk. That way, we can keep our powder dry for the general election."

"Katie," Janice said with a grin. "You can't let this campaign be a priority over getting married."

"You're going to be President," Kate said firmly. "If you'll let us, Alex and I are going to be standing on that platform when you take the oath. Trust me - Alex is even more determined about that than I am."

Janice's eyes narrowed. "Why wouldn't I let you?" she asked. "What does that mean?"

"Oh nothing," Kate said. "It's just that there is only so much room – and a lot of people will want to be up there. That's all I meant."

"If I take the oath in your mom's Porsche," Janice said, "there will be enough room for you and Alex."

"Alex is really getting excited," Kate said with a sly grin. "He was just pointing out to me that we're going to get a ton of public sympathy because of this stupid stunt. The President nominated Daniel Shaw to be CIA Director. I fear that he will be regretting that choice very soon. It's funny - they worked so hard and risked so much to keep you from running. And all they accomplished was to all but guarantee you the Presidency. We should wait about a week – and then make your announcement."

"Katie," Janice said with a smile. "I can't worry about that right now."

"I know," Kate said. "You need to go take care of Uncle Casey. Don't worry. That's why you have me – and Alex. We were just going over some ideas for your announcement speech. It has to kick ass. I'll have a draft for us to discuss by the time we get back to Washington."

"Katie," Janice laughed. "You just got engaged a half hour ago. I hope that, of all the things that Alex is excited about today, my campaign is down the list a bit. Please promise me that you two won't spend all your time working. You need to spend some time taking care of each other."

"Trust me," Kate said with her own laugh. "You don't have to worry about that. We love talking about politics. But when we get to someplace private… Alex is going to fully understand how I intend to take care of him."

"Don't kill the poor guy," Janice said. "After all, we need him."

"We'll see," Kate said with a sly grin. "No promises."

x-x-x-x-x

While Kate was busy talking to Janice, Alex walked up to where Chuck and Sarah were standing. "Mr. Bartowski, Mrs. Bartowski," he said.

"Alex," Sarah said. "Sweetie, I thought that we already agreed. I'm Sarah…"

"I know," Alex interrupted. "I'm sorry. This is sort of a special occasion. So I thought it might be more appropriate to be a little formal. I know that you're supposed to ask permission from the parents before you actually propose – so I want to apologize for that. I know that, like most people, you probably think that this is ridiculously sudden. Maybe you're right. I know that you love Kate. But I just want to assure you – I love her too. I will until I draw my last breath. I'll do anything to make sure that she's safe and happy – and always, always feels loved. Kate's family - and most of all, her parents - are incredibly important to her. She talks about you all the time. And when she talks about you, you can plainly hear the love and respect in her voice. The very last thing that I would want is to change that in any way. So I would really appreciate it if you would tell me what I have to do to earn your blessing."

Chuck smiled, more at Sarah than Alex. "Well, son," he began. "Sarah and I have actually talked a lot about this when Katie was still a baby. We sort of figured this day would come someday. So we devised a test. We understand all about the love stuff – and don't get me wrong – that's very important. We know that you two love each other. That's very clear – no matter how sudden it may appear to some people. But I'm afraid that's not nearly enough for us to feel good about giving her away."

Sarah looked at her husband with a confused look.

"Yes, sir," Alex said. His look was a mixture of anticipation – and fear.

"Let's face it, Alex," Chuck said. "You're a nice guy. But if you really wanted to marry our only daughter, you would do something special. You would make some grand dramatic gesture. In the fairy tales, you would go off and prove yourself by fighting a dragon. I don't know of any dragons around, so you're going to have to figure something else out. I know that you just fought off three men to save her the other night. That was on the right track – but it doesn't quite cut it. You're going to have to do better. Maybe something like throw yourself into a suicide mission to save her life. You would gladly sacrifice your life in a desperate, most would say, foolish attempt to save hers. I know that's pretty harsh – but that's when we would know that your love is pure. Come back when you've done that and we'll talk."

Sarah's confused look turned into a huge grin.

"Oh wait," Chuck said. "Of course - you've already done exactly that, haven't you? How silly of me. Well, I guess that's all I have. Sarah?"

Sarah stepped up to Alex. "I never had a family," she said. "My mom died when I was six. I barely remember anything about her. My dad – well, he wasn't exactly the perfect dad. So probably because of that, my family is now the most important thing in my life. I'm fanatically jealous about guarding them – because I know what it feels like not to have them. I know how empty it feels. So I'm not ever going to take lightly adding someone to that group. I was always worried about Katie. She didn't seem to get it. She didn't seem to understand how important that finding the one was. She was wasting her time for years on someone who clearly wasn't the one. I was never sure why."

Alex just nodded.

At that point, Sarah threw her arms around him. "But all of that changed the very instant that Kate met you," she said. "She loves you, Alex. You're the one. And I don't use that term lightly. I can see why – because I love you too. You just saved all of our lives. That's something that we'll never forget. Welcome to our family, Alex. We're very proud to have you."

It was the second time that Sarah had hugged Alex – but this time he was ready. He held her very tightly. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered. "Could I ask for one more favor?"

"Favor?" Sarah asked.

"I need your gun," Alex said. "I'm going to kill that animal that was in the process of raping her in front of her dad when I walked up."

Sarah looked at Chuck – who nodded slightly in response to her unasked question.

"I understand what you're feeling, Alex," Chuck said. "Of course I do. But that was before you two were engaged. So technically, at the time she was still my responsibility. Besides, from all appearances, your girl is already suitably impressed. Mine, on the other hand, is a lot tougher sell. I mean, look at her. Sure, she's hugging you pretty nicely - but I can feel the cool breeze from here."

Sarah couldn't keep the grin off of her face. That was her Chuck - he could always make her laugh.

"So," Chuck continued. "I need to do something to turn that around – quick – or there's going to be an awfully cold side of my bed tonight. I let you slide on marrying my only daughter with just that one simple suicide mission. Do you think that maybe you could return the favor by letting me take this one?"

x-x-x-x-x

"What?" Joe asked in alarm. "Why does Sparky need clothes? What's wrong with what he's wearing?"

"I already told you," Elise said. "He has a date. And this girl is special. Not one of those big chest bimbos that he's always dragging home. He has to impress her. There were fifty CIA agents stationed here. One of them has to have a nice suit in his size."

"Okay," Joe said. "But why me? I don't want to go scrounging around barracks looking for clean suits."

"I understand that," Elise said with a mock sweetness. "Of course you don't. But just listen to my reasoning for a second. You have been gone for a little over a week. Unless you were doing something in Denver that I don't know about, I'm assuming that you're looking forward to being alone with me tonight – and not getting frostbite in the process. Tell me, sweetie, am I making myself at all clear?"

"Yes, Elise," Joe said sadly. "You're a master at communication skills."

"Excuse me," Alex said. "But why do I have to help? I really don't care if you give me frostbite."

Elise turned her mock sweetness tone towards him. "Let me see, Alex," she said. "I've been told that I'm sort of Katie's mentor. That's actually an awesome responsibility. I take it pretty seriously. Maybe I should tell her about the theory that abstinence during the engagement makes for a better marriage. I'm sure that Katie is looking for a better marriage. I'll bet I could talk her into giving this abstinence thing a try. What do you think?"

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said with a sigh. "What do we have to do?"

"Now see," Elise said sarcastically. "This is more like the spirit of cooperation that I was originally expecting. Thank you both for volunteering. Joe, you need to walk down and get the Porsche. It's kind of a mess since the three of us lived in it for a day. If Sarah sees it, we have big problems. We'll have to abort – and run for our lives. While you're doing that, Alex here will be getting Sparky's various sizes. Oh, and Alex don't forget his shoe size. After you two get the car spic-and-span, and find our clothes, we'll reconvene here for some quick seduction training. Oh, that reminds me - he'll need condoms. Joe?"

"Why would I have any condoms?" Joe asked sarcastically. "I had a vasectomy when Robbie was three. I'm sure that you remember – you're the one who insisted."

"Alex?" Elise asked.

"Elise, please," Alex pleaded. "I only have five. I just got engaged today.

"No problem," Elise said with a return to the mock sweetness. "The good news is after I talk to Kate, you'll still have five – a freaking month from now."

"Fine," Alex said in defeat. "I'll give him two."

"Thank you," Elise said. "That is just the kind of shared sacrifice that makes me all squishy inside. Now you both have your assignments - shove off."

"Excuse me," Alex said. "But what are you going to be doing?"

"Don't worry," Elise said. "I have the hardest assignment of them all. I have to talk Sarah into letting Sparky have her car for the night."

Alex turned to Joe as they walked off. "You know," he said sadly. "I liked her a whole lot better when we weren't going to survive."

x-x-x-x-x

"Now, see," Heather said as she put the bandage on his arm. "You weren't as lucky as your future brother-in-law. You only took five stitches. That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"Are you kidding?" Chuck Junior asked with a grin. "It was excruciating. It was hellish. It's not only the pain – it's the humiliation of not even having a decent sized wound. Only five stitches? The only way I got through it was thinking about my reward."

"Yeah," Heather said. "About that. Look, I know that you sort of got roped into asking me out. So I'm giving you a chance to bail – no hard feelings."

"Are you nuts?" Chuck Junior asked in alarm. "You want me to go tell Elise that I bailed on you? I just finished one suicide mission. I'm not looking forward to another one for a few days yet. Besides, I didn't get roped into anything. Don't tell Elise, she'll be disappointed if she discovers that she's not actually cupid, but I was trying to work up the courage to ask you out anyway."

Heather just looked at him. "Why would you have to work up the courage to ask me out?" she asked. "I don't imagine that many girls turn you down."

"Come on, Heather," Chuck Junior said. "Smart, beautiful girls are very intimidating. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night. I hope you are too."

"I am," Heather said with a smile. "Okay, then, Sparky. I'll see you tomorrow night."

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw was trudging through the mountain trail. He was on foot in some pretty rough terrain - but he had been lucky to escape at all. Fortunately he had the foresight to plan ahead. He knew that he had to get the hell out of that facility the second he heard the shots.

Shaw knew that his grand plan for revenge was now over. There was no way to make Sarah Walker watch loved one after loved one slowly bleed to death in front of her. That was a shame. It would have been fun to see her beg – and maybe even give her some tasks to perform to slow the inevitable. Oh, well – wasn't going to happen.

He also knew that he couldn't use any CIA resources. As soon as they realized that he was missing, he was certainly the subject of a national manhunt. And if they caught him, he would be tried as a traitor.

But the defining characteristic of a good agent was to have contingency plans. After all, the best plans could be changed by unexpected events – just like this one had. But Shaw still had assets.

Let's see," he said to no one in particular as he unfolded the sheet of paper. "Dr. Eleanor Bartowski Woodcomb – currently lives in Burbank – and is Sarah Walker's best friend…"

x-x-x-x-x


	22. Seduction School

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Elise is obsessed with hooking Sparky and Heather up, isn't she? No, she is. She really, really is – isn't she?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Seduction School**

x-x-x-x-x

Elise looked as serious as Kate could ever remember seeing her as she addressed the room. They were in one of the large training rooms on the first floor. Since the building was yet to be guaranteed to be secure, there was a four man armed guard detail, courtesy of the good Colonel Blum, stationed outside the door. Everyone was there, except for Chuck and Sarah – and Janice, of course. Kate winced a little as she guessed what her parents were probably doing. But she could forgive them this once. It was, after all, the same thing that she wanted to be doing. Hopefully, whatever Elise had in mind here would be over quickly and she could drag Alex someplace private. Right now, a broom closet would probably work.

Elise paced back and forth in front of the group that was standing, more or less, in a line. "Thank you for coming," she said. "I bet you're all wondering why I asked you here this afternoon."

Kate nodded her head. She noticed Chuck Junior did too. But Alex and Joe didn't. That was odd.

"It's sort of ironic," Elise said. "This facility is where the CIA trained its agents how to get people of the opposite sex to do things for them that would help in their missions. It had a much different formal name. But we all called it Seduction School. Because for all intents and purposes, that is what it was – how to seduce someone. That is our mission today. To teach Sparky here all that he needs to know to have a chance with the lovely Heather tomorrow night."

"Elise," Chuck Junior groaned. "I really don't need this. I'm actually okay at getting women…" He trailed off as he noticed Elise standing in front of him – with an evil, evil eye.

"Really, Sparky," Elise said firmly. "When I want to hear the sound of your voice, I'll ask you a direct question. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck Junior sighed.

"Excuse me," Elise said, much louder. "I didn't quite hear you."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck Junior said, much more clearly.

"I've seen the girls that you date," Elise ranted. "Trust me – there is more into choosing a girl then her bra size. You said that you wanted a girl like me. Is that still true?"

Chuck Junior just nodded his head – then he remembered his place. "Yes, ma'am,' he said. Then he lowered his voice until only Alex could hear him. "At least, up until a couple of minutes ago."

"Well," Elise said. "If you want a girl like me, you'd better learn how to deal with them. Oh I have no doubt that you're successful at getting your big chest bimbos between the sheets. You're everything that they're looking for. You're handsome, confident… breathing. Girls like me… and Heather… and even Kate here have higher standards. We're looking for something different. Or do you want to go through life pining for something that you can't ever have?"

Kate glanced over at her brother. Suddenly she realized what Elise was saying. "Oh my God," she groaned. "That's just wrong. I know that you have always had a crush on her… but she's old enough to be your mother. She's married…" She quickly stopped speaking as soon as she noticed Elise's evil eye directed at her.

"I'm confused," Elise said as she moved directly in front of Kate – and put her face directly in Kate's. "Did I ask you a question?"

"No, ma'am," Kate quickly said. She knew that she was clearly in trouble. After all, the kids had seen the drill instructor routine before. It was always their mom or Aunt Janice. It was a first for Elise. But still, they knew the drill – shut up and listen.

"Then why on earth are you speaking?" Elise demanded. "Let's be very clear about something. Sparky has never once done anything approaching inappropriate. On the contrary, he has been very respectful of both me and my husband – and very incredibly sweet. Tell me Katie, were you sleeping when he just drove half way across the country to risk his life for you? Did you miss the fact that he held off thirty armed men all by himself? And has it escaped your attention that he did all of those amazingly brave things to save your life - for no other reason than because he loves you?"

"No, ma'am," Kate said. Her voice was barely about a whisper.

"Then I would think that you could find it in your heart to be a little more supportive," Elise growled. "We're here to help him – not to make fun of him. Understood?"

Kate just nodded – with a very red face.

"You're actually a perfect example of what I'm talking about," Elise said. "Paul represents what Sparky currently is. I'm sorry to hear about him being killed, by the way. He didn't deserve that. But you went out with him exclusively for four years. Tell me, Kate – at what point did you decide that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him?"

"I never did," Kate said. "You know that."

Elise just stared at her.

"Ma'am," Kate finished weakly.

"That's right," Elise said. "Now tell us, Katie, how long had you dated Alex here exclusively before you decided that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him?"

"Well," Kate said. "Technically, I guess we have never gone on a real date…"

"Exactly," Elise said. "We have to change Sparky. We have to change him from being like Paul – to being like Alex – this afternoon. We'll start with dancing." She turned on a slow song on her phone. "Kate, dance with your brother."

"Elise," Kate groaned. "Can't I contribute in some less painful way – like maybe giving up a kidney? Besides, Junior here is actually a very good dancer. He's a better dancer than I am." It was true. When she was a teenager, all of Kate's friends always had the normal distain for the little brother. But they all clearly always wanted to dance with him. He was just smooth.

"I know," Elise said. "That's exactly the problem. He's too good. Alex, dance with me for a minute."

Alex groaned – inwardly – but he did it. He was very awkward.

"See," Elise said. "He's horrible. That's exactly what we need. It's incredibly cute. Well, maybe we don't need Sparkly to be quite that awkward – but not smooth like he normally would be. No offence, Alex."

"None taken, ma'am," Alex said as he stepped back to his spot in line – with as much sarcasm as he thought that he could get away with."

Elise smiled – for the first time since they had been in the room. "See, Sparky," she said. "If a woman is looking for a man for casual sex, she'll pick a smooth talking alpha male type – like you are. But if you're looking to make her fall in love with you, it takes sincerity, humility, honesty - like Alex here. A girl wants to see that you can be vulnerable with her. Agent West here is a perfect case study. He is a graduate of this facility. He has probably studied techniques in this very room on how to separate women from their panties. When he was in game shape, he could walk into any bar in the country and get the hottest woman there to go home with him about a third of the time."

Joe just scowled. _Game shape – what in the hell does that mean?_ "Actually, Lise," he said. "I was batting a little over four hundred."

Elise turned to Joe with a half smile. "Okay, Ted Williams," she said. "Then tell Sparky here how long it would have taken Agent West to score with Agent Walters."

Joe sighed. "Hell would have frozen over first," he admitted. "She's right about that, Sparky. When I was trying to be smooth, she shut me down… time after time… pretty brutally. When I gave up and started talking to her… well, things heated up."

"See, Sparky," Elise said. "We have to get you to unlearn everything that you think you know about women. Now, I'm not saying that Heather is the one. That's for you both to decide. I'm just saying that when you meet the one, you can't scare her away. Are you ready to begin? Kate?"

Kate groaned – but she moved to the center of the room to join her brother. And to her credit, she did hug him – in front of everybody. "Thank you for coming for us," she said. "That was incredibly brave. You know that I love you too."

Chuck Junior just nodded. Actually, he wished that Kate hadn't said that. It was always embarrassing when she showed affection. And slow dancing with her? He'd rather eat aluminum foil. But then again, if a little cheek to cheek made Kate this uncomfortable – it couldn't be all that bad, right? Maybe he could even milk her embarrassment a little. That might be a little fun. After all, her new fiancé was standing there watching. Maybe Alex would even help in his little game of sister baiting. Sure, he just asked her to marry him a couple of hours ago – but there were simply some things that guys did for each other. And it was abundantly clear that they were quickly on the path to becoming best friends.

It was like Elise was reading his mind. She turned away so that Kate wouldn't be able to see her smirk. "Really Katie," she said. "If you're this uptight about a little dancing – how are you ever going to help him practice the actual seduction part?" Elise looked at Kate's face – and fought to keep from laughing. It was a little on the evil side but she was enjoying baiting Katie – probably more than she should have. After all, she loved Katie as much as she loved anybody in the whole world – even if she was a tad annoyed with her right now. She really wasn't going to ask Kate to do anything physical with Sparky. That would have been across the line. But Kate didn't have to know that.

"Elise," Kate groaned. "I mean, ma'am. Please don't make sit here and practice with my brother coming on to me. That's just gross."

"You really haven't been paying attention at all," Elise said sadly. "Have you? Alex, tell your new fiancé how Sparky is going to put the moves on his newest conquest tomorrow night."

Alex sighed. This was dangerous territory for him. The last thing that he wanted was to make Kate feel bad. But Elise was… well, downright scary. "Umm," he said. "He won't, ma'am."

Elise was actually starting to feel a little remorse. She could plainly see that Kate was on the verge of tears. So she sighed and forced a smile on her face. "Exactly," she said, much more softly. "Come on, Katie – you're a brilliant woman. Why don't you get with the program a little? Sparky won't be coming on to Heather. That's exactly what we don't want. He already knows how to do that. We're going to teach him how to get her to come on to him. She needs to think that it was her idea."

x-x-x-x-x

Yes, ma'am," Colonel Blum said. "I'm afraid that there is no sign of Director Shaw in the facility. He must have escaped in the confusion of the battle. This terrain is very rugged. It would be almost impossible to find a man once he was a hundred yards out of sight – especially a trained agent."

If it had been anyone else, Sarah would have asked him to check the building again. But with Colonel Blum, she knew that he had already double and triple checked – and probably more than that. His men had combed every inch of this building. If they hadn't found Shaw, he wasn't here. So she just sighed. "Thank you, Colonel," she said. "Has there been any progress in prisoner interrogations?"

"No, ma'am," Blum said. "They are all being very tight lipped. It is going to take some time for them to loosen up. There is one unusual thing that we noticed. Almost none of the men that we captured are CIA Agents. They don't seem to have any government affiliation at all. Are you positive that it was Director Shaw that you talked to?"

Sarah just paused for a long moment, deep in thought. That was odd. If they weren't CIA agents, why were they following Shaw's orders? They addressed him as sir. "Yes," she finally replied. "I'm very sure."

"Naturally, ma'am," Blum said. "I'm not trying to pressure you. You're certainly free to make any decisions that you want. But I'd like to suggest that you and your team would be much safer on the base. At least until we get a handle on what is going on here."

"I agree," Sarah said. "We really don't know what or who is behind this. How much longer will we be able to keep a lid on this?"

"Not long, I'm afraid," Blum said. "Too many people know something serious happened here today. And a Senator missing? That will quickly get some attention. I'd say we might have two days – if we're lucky."

"You're right," Sarah sighed. "We clearly can't go back home until we've figured this out. So, thank you. I appreciate your offer."

"Ma'am," Blum said. "Please don't thank me. After all you have done for this country, finding you a bed to sleep in and some clean clothes are the very least we can do."

x-x-x-x-x

None of the team was all that enthusiastic about staying at the base – especially for any length of time – with the possible exception of Chuck Junior. For one thing, all they had was the clothes on their backs.

But one thing they had to admit, Colonel Blum was going out of his way to be as hospitable as he could possibly be. He let the team ride in his personal vehicle for the two hour drive. He had Sarah's car put on a flatbed truck. And to give them some privacy, he even hitched a ride in another vehicle.

Once they got to the base, he personally saw to it that they had rooms to stay in. For a horrible moment, Kate thought that they were going to assign her and Alex two different single rooms. But Sarah herself intervened with Blum – and it was quickly resolved. He even found then clean clothes. Of course, they were army fatigues. Not that flattering for the lady's figures – but they were clean. Surprisingly, it was Elise, and not Kate, who groaned the loudest.

The first thing that they did when they got there was go to see Casey. He had been out of surgery for some time and was resting comfortably. The doctors promised a full recovery. In a couple of days, he would be released.

But as soon as they were confident that Casey was okay, it was off to their rooms for a hot shower… and a nap.

x-x-x-x-x

"Katie," Alex said softly. They were lying on their bed in the spoon position. The hot shower felt heavenly. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't know what to do. Elise is scary."

"I'm not mad," Kate said. "Alex, why would I be mad at you? I'm sorry if I seem distant. I just can't let Elise get away with messing with me like that. I have to figure out a way to get her back."

"You have to admit," Alex said. "The look on your face when you thought she was going to make you practice seducing Sparky…" Then Alex paused as he felt her body tense. "Okay," he sighed. "I'm sorry. How do you want me to help you?"

Kate smiled – and relaxed. How cute was that? "I don't know yet," she said. "I need a plan."

"You should talk to your dad," Alex said. "Isn't he the guy with all the plans? Besides, this isn't exactly what I was hoping to discuss when we got alone for the first time after we got engaged."

"Oh my god," Kate said. "You're right. I'm so sorry. You're going to think that I'm all talk. I need for you to do me a favor."

"Favor?" Alex asked.

"You were unbelievable today," Kate whispered. "I can't imagine someone doing that for me. It's like a fairy tale. If I even try and talk about it, I'm going to start bawling. I know that sex is a pretty pathetic way to say thank you – but that's all that I have right now. I know that it's your nature to be generous in bed. But for the next hour or so, I need you to be selfish. Can you please do that for me?"

Alex just grinned – and nodded. "When you ask so nicely," he said. "How can I refuse you?"

Kate just smiled as she turned to face him. "Good," she said. "It's time for you to discover how grateful I am to be rescued."

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay, Lise," Joe said. "Seriously… What's wrong?" They were lying on their bed -both on their backs.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Elise sighed.

"Come on," Joe said. "Lise, we've been married for twenty years. Do you really think I can't tell when something is wrong? What is up with the drill sergeant routine all afternoon? You had Kate on the verge of crying. What did Sparky say to you that has you so messed up?"

"Joe, please," Elise said. "Don't take this out on Sparky. He didn't say anything bad. He said that he knew that we were married. And that nothing could ever happen. He said that he loved you and Robbie. He just said that I'm everything that he would look for and that he compares all the girls that he goes out with to me – and that's why they don't last very long."

"Okay," Joe said. "So what's wrong with that? It sounds very nice. Why would that mess you up?"

Elise just stared at the ceiling.

"Lise?" Joe finally asked.

"Because I liked it," Elise finally blurted out. "I know that I shouldn't like it – but I do."

Joe turned to face her and propped himself on his elbow. "What exactly does that mean?" he asked. "Are you saying that you have romantic feelings for Sparky?"

Elise turned to look at Joe like he had grown a third eye. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "Why would you say that? Sparky is like my son. We helped raise him. Trust me – I don't have any romantic feelings for him. That's plain silly. I don't have any romantic feelings for anybody – except for you, of course."

Joe just stared at her for a long moment. "I'm confused," he said. "Why the guilt?"

"I enjoy that he worships me," Elise said. "That seems wrong, somehow. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm just trying to be honest."

"So," Joe said. "Let me see if I understand. Somebody other than me tells you that they admire you. That they think that you're pretty much perfect. And you enjoy that? And you feel guilty about it?"

Elise just nodded.

"Lise," Joe said gently. "You shouldn't feel guilty about that. Sparky was just complimenting you. He thinks that you're the perfect woman – the model that he would use to pick someone. Of course you should feel good about that. Hell, I feel good about that. Someone agrees with me. You're absolutely perfect."

Elise turned to face him. "So," she whispered. "You're not disappointed in me?"

"I am so not disappointed in you," Joe said. "Well, only that you're being a little ridiculous. Here's a news flash. I enjoy that Sparky and Bryce, and even Kate to a lesser extent, treat me like a dad too. Should Robbie be jealous of that? Should Chuck?"

Elise shook her head. "Of course not," she said.

"So tell me," Joe said with the beginning of a smile. "Do you enjoy the way that Bryce's friends look at you?"

"No," Elise said with a laugh. "That's a little creepy." She paused for a long moment. "I really love you," she whispered. "Thank you for understanding."

"No problem," Joe said as he touched his lips to hers. "So, what's the weather forecast tonight? Can I expect any frostbite?"

Elise smiled as she intensified the kissing. "There's only one way to find out," she said.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was lying on his bed. After all, it had been quite the few days. So it felt good to just lie there for a while. His arm was really starting to ache. The real problem was that he was starting to feel lonely. After all, he didn't feel like a third wheel. It was more like a ninth wheel. Everybody else on the team was a couple.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the knock on the door. "Man," he groaned to himself. "If this is Elise… I don't think I can handle any more romance training today."

But when Chuck Junior answered the door, he was surprised.

"Hey, Sparky," Heather said. "I heard that you were going to be staying here for a few days – so I thought I'd pop over and see if you wanted the five cent tour."

Chuck Junior smiled at her. _Maybe I am up for a lab exercise_. She was clearly wearing more makeup than she had his morning. "Sure, but my arm is really starting to ache," he said.

"I know," Heather said. "I had to go pretty deep to get those rock fragments out. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. You're probably not up to it."

"I'm up to it," Chuck Junior said with a grin. "It sounds like fun. I didn't mean that. I just meant - can you show me someplace that would have aspirin first?"

Heather grinned back. "The PX would have anything that a civilian drug store would have," she said. "But here – I have a Vicodin. I'm sorry. I probably should have given this to you before I left."

"Thanks," Chuck Junior said. "So, what do you want to do?"

"We're still going out tomorrow for our big date," Heather said. "Right? Let's just hang out tonight."

"Whatever we do," Chuck Junior said, "we can't go to dinner or dancing tonight. Elise has it all planned out how I'm going to make you fall in love with me tomorrow. I had to practice with my sister, of all people, all afternoon. If I mess that up – things will get… well… ugly."

"Would a pizza technically count as going out to dinner?" Heather asked with a grin. "There is an okay pizza place just off the base that's within walking distance. I sure don't want to mess you up with Elise. It sounds like she has put a lot of effort into planning our courtship."

"You have no idea," Chuck Junior said with his own grin. "I'm pretty sure she has the colors picked out for our bridesmaids. She's researching baby names on the Internet as we speak."

"Maybe you could tell Elise that I promise not to fall in love with you until tomorrow," Heather said with a sly smile. "And if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe put in a good word for Peach for the bridesmaids?"

Chuck Junior looked at Heather in awe. He had never gone out with a girl who would have laughed about that situation. She was pretty amazing. And he suddenly noticed that his arm had stopped hurting. He would normally have attributed that to the Vicodin – except he was still holding it in his hand. "I think pizza would be fine," he said as soon as he could stop laughing. "Anything without utensils would qualify. Tell me, Heather – do you ever just like to throw a football around?"

"Sure," Heather said. "But…"

"It's okay," Chuck Junior said. "We don't have to do that. It's getting dark. I was just asking."

"It's not that," Heather said. "I love to play football. Tomorrow, we'll throw it around for a while. We'll swing by my place and get mine. Besides, we're on an Army Base. It's never too hard to get a football game going. It's just that – you live in Los Angeles."

"Okay," Chuck Junior said. "So…"

"You can't be a football fan," Heather said insistently. "You don't even have a team."

x-x-x-x-x

_Author's note: This is going to be a long and complicated note – so bear with me. I'm getting some reviews (usually anonymous) that are complaining that too much of the story is concentrating on original characters. It's hard to respond to an anonymous review – so I'll do it here._

_I first noticed this attitude when I was writing Dark Intersect. I had planned a whole subplot in that story with the team (particularly Ellie and Elise) playing an escalating series of pranks on each other – with Chuck being the guy in the middle. I was excited about it. I thought that it was funny. But I started getting a fair amount of resistance to that storyline. People wanted to get right to the action – so I cut that part short._

_I sense (and this is simply my perception) that there is little tolerance by some for anything in a Chuck fanfic except the romantic Charah love story – and maybe a little (emphasis on little) adventure. Those folks want all Chuck fanfic to follow the formula._

_C/S pine for each other._

_Some barrier to them being together surfaces and is dealt with in a climatic battle._

_They end up in bed (or in the back seat of a car - or on the kitchen table, lol)._

_The end._

_Up until Dark Intersect (and even DI ended up this way) I followed that formula._

_But now, I'm sort of in a dilemma. Ironically, I think the show is in pretty much the same spot. Chuck and Sarah are together. Do I (and the show) break them up – hit reset – and go back to wt/wt? That's exactly what Prague, and Hannah, and Shaw were – reset the relationship so that they could spend a season of wt/wt angst and have a happy ending by putting them back together in Other Guy. I was bored by that. And since half way through the season, about two million people stopped watching (and have showed no sign of coming back), I'd argue that was a failed strategy. So, I'm not going to do that. If that's what the fandom wants, then I'm just not the guy. If that was vague, let me be more clear. I WILL NOT DO THAT, lol. Chuck and Sarah are together – in any story that I write. The show (and fanfic writers) have to find ways to tell exciting stories without depending on the wt/wt angst that has dominated the series to date. Can they? It certainly is not guaranteed. My approach to that problem was to introduce original characters and tell their love story. The show is going to concentrate on the search for MamaB. I'm excited about that – but if you're looking for Charah – I don't know what to tell you. There simply isn't very much room for them (or me) to go in that area._

_If this sounds like I'm whining, that's not my intent. I actually continue to be bowled over at the support and kind words that I've received. When I started Prodigal Daughter, I fully understood that a story that wasn't primarily about Charah might not be received well. My beta was even harsher than that. But I decided that I was writing this story for me. And that I could live with smaller amounts of hits and reviews. That's where I still am. As a reader, I was excited about Kate and Alex's love story. I'm as proud of those chapters as of anything I have ever written. If anything, I would have liked to stretch that out a few more chapters. I'm excited about Sparky and Heather's possibility. I'm even excited about Elise's odd internal conflict over her feelings for Sparky (trust me - it's not going to get creepy, lol)._

_So – if you're frustrated by where the story is going – I'm sorry. I do promise that Shaw and Sarah will have their eyeball-to-eyeball moment. And I'm going to try my best to make it as exciting as the confrontation between Chuck and Adam Colson in Dark Intersect was. But it's going to be a while. I'm going to explore those other storylines. Chuck and Sarah will always be around – and key components (I'll even try to get them on the kitchen table a time or two, lol) – but they are not going to be the prime focus – for a while anyway. I hope that you can be patient and enjoy the story – but, if not – I understand._

_As always, I thank you all for your support._

x-x-x-x-x


	23. Double Date

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_What's going to happen when Elise discovers that Chuck Junior and Heather are not following her plan? Whatever it is - it can't be good._

_I really appreciate all of the support that I got after last chapter's author's note. I just want to make sure I clarify. I'm not upset about anything. I was just responding to a couple of autonomous reviews. And even they weren't bad. Anyway, thanks everybody for the support._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Double Date**

x-x-x-x-x

They had to eat sometime… right? It was the only reason Alex could think of for getting dressed. And even then, he thought about it… for a long time. After all, Kate was simply so beautiful lying there – with absolutely nothing on except for his engagement ring. How perfect was that?

And actually, if it had only been up to Alex, he would have waited even a while longer. But Kate was really starting to get hungry. After all, the only thing that she had to eat in almost two days was the MRE that Blum found for them for lunch. At least Sparky, Elise, and he had grabbed fast food while they stopped for gas.

But fortunately, Alex's timing was perfect. He had finally broken down and allowed her to get dressed. And she was just buttoning her shirt when they heard the pounding at the door.

"Hey buddy," Chuck Junior said as soon as Alex opened the door. "Heather and I are going out for pizza. Do you guys want to come along? It would be the first real date for both of us."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah had been married for twenty-two years. So they had a different take on the passion thing. Oh, they were just as passionate as they ever had been. In fact, they put the kids to shame. It's just that they knew enough to wait until they had the time to do it right. After all, patience is a virtue. So they just cuddled on the bed for a while.

Sarah had just gotten off the secure phone that Colonel Blum had given her. She was frankly pretty frantic about her other son. But General Beckman assured her that Bryce was with Ellie and Devon and they were safe. She promised to have him call her the next time that he checked in – which would be any time now. So that was one less worry.

Sarah was clearly troubled by Blum's news about their enemies. "Who are these guys?" she asked with a sigh. "I just assumed they were CIA Agents who basically thought they were following orders from their Director."

"I really wasn't paying that much attention this morning," Chuck said. "I was too busy trying to stay out of your line of fire while you were shooting guys in the head. But I didn't flash on anybody. If they were CIA Agents, they would clearly be in the Intersect."

"Maybe we'll go over to the lockup tomorrow," Sarah said. "We'll get you a closer look at them and see what the Intersect has. General Beckman also promised to do some checking with her contacts."

"I see that our two Fulcrum Elder buddies are still loose," Chuck said. "That must be related somehow."

"Clearly," Sarah said. "That had to be an inside job. No way could they have broken out on their own. That's very concerning. After all, they hate your guts."

"It's very concerning," Chuck said with a smile. "Those guys were slobbering all over you twenty years ago. I can't imagine what they're thinking after spending all that time without a whiff of a woman."

Sarah leaned over and kissed him – gently. "Look on the bright side," she said with a sly smile. "If I am forced to hook up with them – it won't take very long. Maybe we should get our minds off this and go collect our team. They must be getting hungry."

Chuck just laughed. "You're really a glass-is-half-full kind of chick today," he said. "I hate to be the Negative Nellie here – but I seriously doubt they would be satisfied with the one time…"

x-x-x-x-x

"I have to warn you," Kate said with a grin. "Alex is very particular about his pizza. There is the best pizza place right by our apartment. It's the best pizza I've ever had. His introducing me to it is actually the main reason I'm marrying him."

"I'm afraid that you're going to be disappointed," Heather said with a sigh. "The place that's within walking distance is okay. There's a fabulous place about five miles away. But I just transferred here. My car is still in route from my old base. It's too far to walk."

"Why?" Alex asked. "We have a car. Just ask your mom if we can take her car."

Both Chuck Junior and Kate looked at Alex like he had grown a second head. "You want me to ask Mom to drive her Porsche to go get pizza?" Chuck Junior asked incredulously. "No thanks. I mean there are suicide missions… and then there's really crazy stuff. That's really crazy stuff."

Alex looked to Kate for support. "Sorry, sweetie," Kate said. "Junior is right – for once. She would have a cow. Mom loves that car."

Of course, the timing was perfect. Because there was a knock on the door – and it was Chuck and Sarah.

"Hey," Sarah said. "Good. You're all here. That saves us a trip." If she was surprised that Heather was in the room, she didn't show it. "We were just thinking about going to get something to eat."

"Yeah," Alex said. "We were just getting ready to walk to a pizza place that Heather knows about. Would you like to join us?"

x-x-x-x-x

The two couples were having a fantastic time at the pizza place. Not only were they all famished, it turned out that Heather was right. The pizza was great – almost as good as Alex's place in Washington.

Kate was quickly coming to realize that she was having the time of her life. For one thing, this was her first real date with Alex - at least as a real couple. It felt so great to get out with him and just plain – have fun. But even that paled compared to how she was clicking with Heather. Well, actually everybody was - but Kate, especially. It had been a long time since she had a girlfriend her own age to talk too. Heather was doing a great job of entertaining them with stories of solders trying to fake injuries to get out of duty. In fact, Kate's biggest challenge was to avoid looking like a giggling fool. "I can't believe that Mom offered to let us take her Porsche," she finally said in between bites of pizza. "Did she hit her head in the battle or something?"

"I think that she is trying to prove something to your new fiancé here," Chuck Junior replied a grin. "Handing him the keys to the Porsche was definitely telling him that he's part of the family."

Alex quickly looked to Sparky's face for any hint of jealousy. After all, that's the last thing that he wanted. They were just starting to really get close. They didn't need something petty getting in the way. Thankfully, he didn't see any. "I think that she was telling all of us that she trusted us," he said. "I think that I was just standing the closest to her at the time."

"Maybe," Kate said with her own grin. "But she has clearly accepted you into the family. That's a huge thing for her."

Alex just looked puzzled. "What is all this talk about how intense your mom is?" he asked. "I don't see it. She has never been anything but nice to me. I've never seen her angry, except maybe when she was locked in that cell. But come on - we were all pretty tense at that point. I'll bet she treated that Paul guy just as well as she does me."

"Are you kidding?" Chuck Junior asked with a laugh. "Paul was scared to death of Mom. We used to tease him about it all the time. And as far as him driving the Porsche – well, he would have had a better chance of driving the Space Shuttle – or maybe Air Force One."

Alex looked to Kate – who just nodded with a sad smile. "Mom tolerated Paul, sweetie," she said. "Dad was the one who made more of an effort. But Mom clearly didn't care for him all that much. She was always civil to him – but it was always from an arm's length. She has never once hugged him. From the instant that she met you, it was totally different. You're part of her family. She loves you. Paul was never that."

"Hey," Chuck Junior said with a laugh. "That reminds me. Speaking of driving Air Force One – when Aunt Janice becomes President, do you think…?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were walking over to Joe and Elise's room to see what they wanted to do about dinner.

"I can't believe that you let the kids take your car," Chuck said with a laugh. "Did you hit your head in the battle?"

"For one thing, they're not kids anymore," Sarah said with a sigh. "And, let's face it. Being in love with a car is actually pretty pathetic. It's just a machine. It can't love me back. I have to get over that. Besides, it was fun to see the surprise in their eyes."

"That's not the only look I saw," Chuck said. "Do you realize that you might have just hurt your son's feelings?"

Sarah was stunned. "Why would you say that?" she asked.

"Chuck Junior has lived his whole life knowing how protective you are of that car," Chuck said gently. "You didn't see the look on his face when you handed Alex the keys."

Sarah was instantly beside herself. "Oh my god," she said. "I didn't think of that. Alex was just standing next to me. Maybe I should go back and talk to him."

"No," Chuck said as he pulled her back. "Sarah, it's not that big of a deal. But if you go back there now, you'll just turn it into one. You might want to talk to him the next time you get a chance."

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked. "Now I feel horrible. I don't want him to feel like Alex is taking his place. It's not like that at all."

"It would be nice for you to tell him that," Chuck said as he put his arms around her. "I don't think that you realize how much he worships you – and how he's sort of afraid of you."

Sarah looked for the sign that Chuck was teasing her – and when she didn't see one finally decided that he was being serious. "What?" she asked incredulously. "Are you seriously saying that Chuck Junior is afraid of me? Why would you say something like that? That's a horrible thing to say."

"I didn't mean it like that," Chuck said soothingly. "But it's true. Bryce is too. I would call it respect more than fear. They are just both very careful to not do anything that you would disapprove of. It's not a bad thing. Don't feel badly about it. They just worship you. But it does mean that you can hurt him pretty easily and not realize it. Talk to him about it. He'd love that."

Sarah just nodded. She had a tough time blinking the tears from her eyes. She held on tightly to Chuck for some time. "He asked me to tell him the story of my mission in Italy," she was finally able to whisper. "And I wouldn't. I was too embarrassed. I mean, how do you tell your son that you pretended to be a terrorist's girlfriend to get on the inside of their group. How do you explain that you got naked with him – more than once? That would embarrass us both."

"Sarah," Chuck said. "Let me ask you a serious question. Are you ashamed of the things that you've done as a spy?"

Sarah shook her head.

"Because it sort of sounds like it," Chuck said. "You did what you were trained to do in Italy. You weren't married or in a serious relationship with anybody at the time. You risked your life - and because you did, untold millions of lives were saved. And it was far more than just sex. I've read the mission report. In the final battle you single handedly took down eight of them in close quarters hand to hand combat. You saved an entire squad of solders from being ambushed and killed. You were honored by the President. Don't you think that our sons would understand that… and be very, very proud? I know that I was when I first heard that story. Tell me something, Sarah. Wouldn't you do exactly the same thing today if you had too? If it took getting naked with a terrorist to save a hundred million lives – wouldn't you do it?"

Sarah just smiled. How did he always know what to say to her? "Yes," she said. "But right now I'm sort of hoping to get naked with someone else."

"Now see," Chuck said with a grin. "That story would embarrass him."

Sarah couldn't keep in the laugh.

"Come on," Chuck said as soon as he could stop laughing. "Let's go see if we can interrupt whatever disgusting things Joe and Elise are doing."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Bartowski was sort of torn. On the one hand, naturally he was frantic about what was going on with his family. After all, his parents and sister were captured with only Sparky, Aunt Elise, and this new Alex guy to possibly save them. The odds didn't seem too good.

He knew that he had to follow Aunt Elise's instructions exactly. The look in her eyes told him just how serious this was. He must have looked quite the sight to Aunt Ellie. But to her credit, she didn't question him at all. Well, not right away, anyway. She immediately got in the car, had Bryce drive to the hospital to collect Devon, and off they went.

But if there was one good thing about his Aunt Ellie – it was that she was a pragmatist. As long as they had to disappear, it might as well be someplace nice, right? So now, here they were – at a luxury resort in Puerto Vallarta. After all, Ellie and Devon were both incredibly busy doctors. They hadn't taken a vacation in several years. And while this wasn't the best of circumstances, the weather was perfect. Not only that, the place was packed with tourists getting an early start on the Christmas season. And they all seemed to bring their teenaged daughters with them.

Naturally, Bryce wanted to give Devon and Ellie a chance to be alone. After all, Devon had slapped him on the back and said something about danger being a turn on. Bryce didn't ask any questions – he just headed to the pool. But when he got there it was nothing short of magical. Bryce quickly found himself surrounded by bored teenaged girls. It was like they were having a contest to see who could wear the skimpiest bikini.

So that was the torn part. He was frantic, worried about his family. Yet he was here in paradise surrounded by a bevy of beautiful, bored, and mostly naked teenaged girls.

What's a guy to do?

x-x-x-x-x

The pizza place was packed. It was clear that more people than Heather knew how good it was. They had a waitress – but they hadn't seen her in some time. And they needed another pitcher of beer. Well, and another Coke for Sparky, since he wasn't old enough to drink yet. Heather actually offered to have Coke as well.

"Don't be silly," Chuck Junior said. "This actually works out perfectly. I can drive us home. Besides, Elise tells me that getting a woman drinking is the first step in romancing her. Apparently, it affects their judgment."

"Wait a minute," Kate said with a laugh. "I thought that Elise is expecting you to let Heather make the first move?"

"That's tomorrow night," Chuck Junior said with his own laugh. "Heather already agreed not to fall in love with me until tomorrow. So tonight I can put all the moves on her that I want."

Heather's eyes were sparkling. "Tell me, Kate," she said. "Sparky said that you had to practice with him today. What did you practice?"

"Dancing," Kate said. "We mostly practiced dancing."

"That's cute," Heather said. "But, Sparky, I don't care if you're not a great dancer."

"But that's the thing," Alex said. "Sparky is a great dancer. Elise was teaching him to be awkward – like me. It's just one of those things that are going to get you to fall in love with him quicker."

"Oh, that is just sneaky," Heather said. "This Elise is pretty devious. I can't wait until tomorrow to get this full court press."

Finally, the guys decided that they would just go to the bar and get some drinks. As soon as they left, Heather turned to Kate. "So," she said. "Tell me about Elise. She is very beautiful. Is she an ally to me – or a competitor?"

"I guess that depends," Kate said with a laugh. "Elise is a lot older than she looks. She's in her mid-forties. So I don't see her as a competitor. For one thing, she's married. Is she an ally? I'm not sure. Maybe. It depends. Are you going to fall in love with him?"

Heather just smiled. "We'll see," she said. "First I have to check out this dancing."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was sleeping pretty soundly. After all, it had been one hell of a day. So it took a while to wake up enough to realize that there was a loud pounding on the door. One look at the clock told him that this was far too late to be a social call. It read a little after two. So he stumbled to the door in his boxers.

"Mom?" he said in surprise as he opened the door. "Is something wrong?"

Sarah stepped in and hugged her son. "Yes, sweetie," she said. "I want to talk to you. I was going to wait until tomorrow – but I couldn't sleep."

"Okay, Mom," Chuck Junior said. "What's on your mind?"

Sarah sighed. "Your dad told me that I might have hurt your feelings tonight," she said. "I just handed the keys to Alex because he was standing closest to me. I'm sorry if you thought anything else. That was very insensitive of me."

Chuck Junior just smiled. "That's exactly what Alex said," he said. "Mom, don't worry about it. It was nothing. It was very nice of you to let us use your car. We had a great time."

"It wasn't nothing," Sarah said. "I've hurt you – and not just tonight. It's a car. It's a stupid machine. I'm so sorry that I've made you afraid of it – and me. It doesn't mean anything to me. You, sweetie – you mean everything to me."

Sparky really didn't know what to do. Mom was clearly emotional. But he was wearing only his boxers. "Mom," he finally said. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Sarah said. "I've kept my past a secret from you kids. It's not that I didn't trust you with it. It's that I didn't want you to be part of it. It's a nasty business, sweetie. I didn't want you to be exposed to it. But as it turns out, that was stupid. You are exposed to it – no matter what I want. All I've done is make sure that you're not equipped to deal with it. I'm so, so sorry."

"Mom," Chuck Junior said. "Don't be sorry. I think that I'm doing okay."

"You were lucky today," Sarah said as she squeezed him even tighter. "Believe me, I'm not taking anything away from what you three guys did – it was the bravest single thing I've ever seen. And I'm so proud of you that I could start bawling right now. But agents train for years, sweetie. If the three top agents in the world had tried to storm that armed facility with fifty trained agents inside – they would have been killed about two-thirds of the time. That's just a fact. By all odds you should be dead right now. I never wanted you to become an agent - I still don't. But I do want you to learn enough to have a chance to defend yourself. So, I'm going to give you your wish. I'm going to train you. I'm warning you, sweetie. I'm intense in those types of situations. If I scream at you, please try and not take it personally. It has nothing to do with how much I love you. Actually, it's the opposite. I'm going to be hard on you because I love you so much."

Chuck Junior just nodded.

"Okay, sweetie," Sarah said. "Oh six hundred – report outside on the parade grounds."

"Oh six hundred?" Chuck Junior questioned.

"That's six in the morning," Sarah said with a wince. She was more than a little surprised that he didn't know what that meant. Surely Casey would have taught him military time.

"I know what it means," Chuck Junior said. "I didn't mean that. It's just… pretty early. That's only four hours from now."

Sarah grinned. "Part of being able to defend yourself is being in shape," she said. "I'm going to push you – harder than you're going to want to be pushed. There will be times when you're not going to be liking me very much. Just remember – I'm doing this because I love you. By the way, while we're training, I'll be addressed as either Agent Walker or ma'am. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck Junior said.

"Now," Sarah said with a smile. "You deserve to know the truth. Are you ready to hear the story of my mission in Italy?"

Suddenly there was a sleepy voice from the bedroom. "Sparky, is someone here?"

Even in the dark, he could see the redness in Sarah's face. "I guess that story will have to wait," she said with a pained smile. "Just so you know - any girl that gets serious with you is going to be facing a similar threat. You can ask Alex about that. Invite Heather to join us tomorrow. Tell her that I'll clear it with Colonel Blum. She needs to see what she might be getting into. Besides, we might need a medic – especially when Elise finds out about how you've blatantly disregarded her instructions. She doesn't take that well."

"Yes, ma'am," he said – with his own very red face.

Sarah kissed him on the forehead with a grin. "Oh six hundred," she said. "Be careful what you wish for, rookie – you might just get it."

x-x-x-x-x


	24. Basic Training

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah realizes that her kids are never going to be safe. Not as long as they are associated with her and Chuck. So they need to be able to defend themselves. Besides – Elise, Joe, and Janice may have all been CIA Agents – but that was twenty years ago. Let's see how far Sarah will go to get her team back into game shape. And maybe she'll find out that what she has to do isn't worth it._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Basic Training**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior was quite surprised when he and Heather got to the parade grounds. He just expected his mom to be there. But the entire team was there, except for Casey, of course. They were there standing, more or less in line. Mom clearly had some major pull with Colonel Blum. He was there in person to verify to Lieutenant Moore that she was assigned full time to Agent Walker's team. He had a distinct sparkle in his eyes when he told her that she would treat Agent Walker's orders as if they came from Blum himself until further notice – or until she was dead – whichever came first.

Even though Heather hadn't served under Blum for very long, she clearly knew his style. If she was surprised or upset by her new assignment, she certainly didn't show it. "Yes, sir," was her snappy reply.

But if Heather didn't appear to be upset, that attitude surely wasn't shared by the rest of the team. Kate and Elise in particular, were making little effort to keep the displeasure from their faces. Of course, Kate's problem was that she never liked to have to get up this early. Elise was more pained about being forced into public wearing fatigues.

Sarah paced back and forth impatiently in front of the group as she addressed them – much like a tiger sizing up her prey. Since they were all dressed in fatigues, they looked very much like an Army squad assembled for PE. "Thank you for coming this morning," she said. "Heather, you're here because you've volunteered. So this next part doesn't really apply to you. Anytime that you feel being associated with my son is no longer worth it, let me know and I'll talk to Colonel Blum and get you immediately reassigned."

"Yes, ma'am," Heather said smartly. "I don't see that happening."

"And Alex," Sarah said. "You're also here because you want to join our family. You can also quit anytime you'd like. Just understand what you'd be quitting."

Alex looked surprised – and more than a little insulted. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "There is no way that I'm quitting… ma'am."

"Don't be offended, Alex" Sarah said firmly. "I'm not suggesting that you would. I just want it on the record that you are here of your own free will. Let's get started. I want to begin by saying that I love you all. I know that I hardly ever tell any of you that. I'm sorry. It's something that I was never good at. But, indeed, that's why we're here. I'm telling you how much I love you now because you're going to come to question it later this morning. It was always my hope that our team could retire from an agent's life and live normally. And it was certainly my hope that my kids and whoever they chose to be their partners would never be impacted by that life. Recent events have convinced me that hope was always a fantasy. So now, I have two choices. I can watch you be destroyed by my enemies. Or I can give you a chance to be able to defend yourself. Since I don't want to see you destroyed, that really only leaves one option. Agreed?"

"Yes, ma'am," came the instant reply from the group.

"I'd like to think that Sarah Bartowski is a fairly nice person," Sarah continued. "She raised three great kids, was active in the PTA, and tried her best to be a fairly normal wife, friend, and mother."

Sarah paused for a moment to gauge the effect. Satisfied that she had their complete attention, she continued. "Unfortunately for you," she said. "Sarah Bartowski is not here this morning. She'll be back with you this afternoon. But this morning – and every morning until further notice, my name is Sarah Walker. I intend on doing most of the talking in these sessions. But if circumstance forces you to address me, it will be as Agent Walker – or ma'am. If I resemble your wife, mother, or friend, let me assure you – I am not her. In fact, except for Janice, I've never even met you before. If you hear one thing this morning, hear this – I'm your worst nightmare. There is only one way for me to accomplish what needs to be accomplished in the short time that we have. And that's by being the hardest of the hard asses that you've ever seen. I have absolutely no intention of being reasonable or fair. I'm going to push you and trick you – and punish you whenever you fall even a tiny bit short of my ridiculous expectations. I demand your very best effort, both mentally and physically, in this series of exercises. I expect you to push yourself to what you previously thought were your limits and beyond. If you ever dare insult me by giving me less than that, things will get… incredibly unpleasant. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Sarah said. "We'll start each morning with a five mile run. This morning, we'll take it a little easy with twelve minute miles. Each morning, we'll go a little faster. In a week, I expect eight minute miles. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Okay," Sarah said. "Let's begin."

x-x-x-x-x

Actually, it wasn't the kids that were struggling. It was more the ex-agents. After all, the kids were all in pretty good shape – especially Kate and Heather. This was actually substantially slower than they would have been running on their own anyway. They both could have given Agent Walker her eight minute miles today – so they barely broke a sweat. Alex and Chuck Junior perhaps weren't used to running long distances, but they were in shape. Chuck and Elise were also pretty used to working out with Sarah – so, while they were grateful that the pace wasn't any faster, they really weren't having a problem keeping up.

It was actually Joe and Janice who were really having issues. They quickly learned how horribly out of game shape they were. After all, they were both in the same situation. They both had incredibly challenging careers. And while they prided themselves on being physically fit, there were only so many hours in the day. They both fell quite a ways behind. And since they clearly didn't care for each other that much, it became – well, awkward. And it actually took a long time for them both to catch their breath.

Sarah really didn't allow them much time to recover. She led them directly to the base gym. Clearly, she had planned ahead – because there was a support staff waiting for them. The team was outfitted with boxing gloves, foot and head gear – and led to the ring.

Sarah addressed the group. "We're going to spend some time this morning learning to fight. This morning, from this point on, be prepared to defend yourself at all times. There is a prime objective in fighting. Alex, do you know what it is?"

"Umm," Alex said. "Not really, ma'am. Hit him more than he hits you?"

Sarah stepped over to be directly in front of him. "Alex," she growled as she glared at him. "Are you making fun of me?"

Alex was shocked – and his red face clearly showed it. "No ma'am," was all he could say.

Sarah stood and glared at him for a long moment. Finally she was satisfied that Alex was suitably chastised. "That's not correct," Sarah growled. "Heather?"

"To survive, ma'am?" Heather asked.

"Closer," Sarah said. "The prime objective in fighting is to end it as soon as possible. Preferably by getting away. But if necessary, by stopping your opponent. You see, Alex, whenever you are fighting someone, you are in danger. You want to spend as little time doing it as possible. He is looking to hurt you. He is looking to hurt someone that you love. And the rules are – there aren't any rules."

Sarah stepped up to Chuck – and buried her right fist into his stomach. He immediately doubled over and fell to the floor in pain. "You weren't paying attention when I told you to be prepared to defend yourself," Sarah said. "Were you?" Sarah looked around. "Let that be a lesson. If I would do that to him, imagine what I'll do to you. When you get in this ring, it is going to be against someone that you love. But this morning, you need to set that aside. Today, they are the enemy. Janice and Kate – you're up."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah really didn't expect Kate to put up much of a fight against Janice. So she really wasn't disappointed - much. After all, Kate was young, in shape, and had practiced punching in the gym downstairs – but Janice had once been one of the best agents in the whole world – even if she was still trying desperately to catch her breath. And actually, Kate did manage to get a couple of punches in – one even stunned Janice for a second. But after Janice finally caught her breath, she was fairly easily able to tackle and subdue her.

Alex did a lot better against Elise. He was clearly working out some of his anger at Sarah on her. He actually had the upper hand for quite a while. He even landed a blow that had Elise not knowing where she was for a second. An experienced fighter would have used that opening to quickly end it. But Alex made his fatal mistake of allowing her to grab him and hold on until she recovered. He eventually made another mistake by telegraphing a punch. Elise, who was clearly embarrassed, was able to duck it, flip Alex over her hip – and the fight was quickly over.

Joe and Chuck Junior turned into quite a battle. Joe clearly got more power punches in. But Chuck Junior took everything that he had – and delivered some serious shots of his own. He had Joe on one knee for a long moment. But Joe was eventually too big, strong, and experienced. So Sarah finally stepped in between them.

But the main event of the morning was clearly Heather and Sarah. Obviously this wasn't Heather's first time in the ring. She had been paying attention to the previous fights and knew that the agents liked to counterpunch. So she stayed on the outside and jabbed. She even bloodied Sarah's nose. But in the end, Sarah was too quick for her. A surprise kick just under Heather's ribs gave Sarah the opening that she needed.

As soon as she was sure Heather was okay, she addressed the group. "All four of you failed miserably," she said. "Actually, you all got some shots in. But every one of you had an opportunity to get away – and you didn't. You stayed in there against an opponent that had you overmatched and let them eventually get the upper hand. Alex, what is the primary objective in a fight?"

Alex sighed. "To end it as quickly as possible, ma'am," he said.

"Correct," Sarah said. "So tell me why you just stood there when your opponent was stunned. You should have run. Now you're dead. All of you are. Alex and Katie, you're not going to have the chance to be married. The grandchildren that I was going to spoil are never going to be born. Chuck Junior and Heather, we're never going to find out what's going to happen between you two. Because you're dead. You were stupid. That was the whole point of today's exercise – and you completely failed."

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said.

"That effort was totally unacceptable," Sarah said. "Because of your pathetic performances, for your reward you four get to repeat this morning's run. When you're done with that, we're done for the day. You can meet us in the squad room for lunch after you're showered and changed."

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw certainly didn't share Alex's enthusiasm over driving a big rig. But at least it was transportation. After all, he had spent the past twenty-fours hours in some very rough terrain, trying to avoid being captured. He was very lucky to have stumbled upon that mountain road. And even luckier to find someone that was willing to pick up a hitchhiker. Shaw knew that he couldn't dispose of the body anytime soon. That would just tip them off. He would have to wait until be got well out of the immediate area. But hopefully that would be soon – after all, it was beginning to smell.

Shaw knew that he had to be very careful. He also knew what he had to do. The first thing was to get to an urban area and find a prepaid phone. He had to warn the others that their plot was uncovered. After all, a lot of men had been captured. Certainly, one of them would talk soon. It was time to go back underground and start over.

But first, there was the little matter of Sarah Walker. After all, he still had a number of men that weren't at the facility at the time. The problem was, they were spread out over the country. It would take a few days for them to get to Los Angeles without drawing attention to themselves.

Getting revenge could still be fairly easy. After all, this Woodcomb was a famous doctor. She should be easy enough to find and capture. And Shaw knew Sarah. She was noble – to a fault. There was no way that she wouldn't sacrifice herself to save someone she loved. And when she thought that she was only going to sacrifice herself, she really would be sacrificing her whole team. It was one of the main tenants of being a good spy. When you are that predictable, you are defenseless.

There still might be some fun left in this mission after all.

x-x-x-x-x

Joe and Elise were both hurting from their fights – especially Joe. Chuck Junior had gotten a couple of serious body shots in. So Sarah excused them. And that was perfectly fine with them. At that point, spending any more time around Agent Walker didn't seem like a good idea anyway.

Sarah took Chuck and Janice to the lockup to see if Chuck would flash on any of the men that had been captured. No luck there. There were a couple of very low-level CIA agents. But the intersect had never heard of most of the men. The CIA agents claimed to know nothing. They were just following orders. None of the other men had broken – yet. But it was just a matter if time. After all, everybody talks – eventually.

Chuck was giving Sarah the coldest of the cold shoulders. Janice was also not looking all that friendly. Finally, she turned to Sarah. "What time should I pick you up?" she asked.

Sarah looked for any hint of humor in Janice's face – and could find none. "Pick me up," she asked with a confused look. "Pick me up for what?"

"Well," Janice said, still with no hint of humor, "if you're back to being Sarah Walker I figured you would want to go out and pick up men tonight. Maybe we can even find a wet t-shirt contest for you to star in."

Sarah couldn't answer for a long time. "Come on, Janice," she finally said sadly. "You know what I'm doing. It's the only way I know how."

"Yes," Janice said. "I know what you're doing – and even I'm not liking you all that much right now. Imagine what those kids are thinking."

"It's for their own good," Sarah whispered.

"Maybe," Janice said. "But does the phrase win-the-battle-lose-the-war mean anything to you? You'd better ask yourself if it's worth it."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were in their room. Chuck was clearly still not speaking to her. That alone was enough to have her close to tears. She always hated it when Chuck was visibly mad at her. And this was as angry as he had been in a long time. He was in the shower. Since it was his second shower in as many hours, it was plainly to avoid being in the same room with her. Just when Sarah thought that she couldn't feel any worse, there was a knock at the door.

"Heather," Sarah said as she opened the door. But actually, it took a moment to recognize her. Gone were the plain, unflattering army fatigues. Instead, she was wearing a party dress. Her golden hair framed her expertly made up face perfectly. "You look beautiful." Indeed, that was an understatement. She looked more than beautiful. "Please come in."

"No thank you, ma'am," Heather said.

"Heather," Sarah said with as much smile as she could muster. "Please call me Sarah when we're not training."

Heather didn't smile. "Actually," she said. "I prefer ma'am."

Sarah just nodded.

"Ma'am, you told me to let you know when it was no longer worth it," Heather said coolly. "Well, that's why I'm here."

Sarah had to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked softly.

"Yes, ma'am," Heather said with a glare. "Sparky is an amazing man. If things were different, I'd really enjoy getting to know him better. I was looking forward to tonight… a lot. I was always willing to fight off Elise. I've thought about this all afternoon. Quite frankly, ma'am, being around you any longer than is absolutely necessary… well, that thought is very unattractive. I'll tell him tonight."

x-x-x-x-x


	25. Dream Date

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_It turns out that Hard Ass Agent Walker is not that much fun to be around – imagine that. Even her kids now realize that. Can Sarah Bartowski repair the damage?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Dream Date**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Bartowski Senior had a clear weakness. Well, more than one, actually. For one thing, he hated to be called Chuck Bartowski Senior. Not only did it make him feel ninety, he always worried that it would diminish his son. That was the main reason he objected to naming him that. But he promised Sarah before Kate was born that she could be in charge of naming the kids. And she had her heart set on it - but Chuck Junior was not a junior – in anything. He was as impressive of a young man as Chuck could imagine. He could match intellect with anybody. But that really didn't stand out so much. After all, there were a lot of smart people around in the family. But Chuck Junior was also smooth, strong, confident, and good looking – and he was all of those things without an ounce of arrogance. Chuck would have really liked to take credit for that – except he knew that it wasn't true. Oh, they had a great relationship. It was just that Chuck Junior was impressive – all on his own. And frankly, Elise was probably the major mentor influence in his life – especially since Casey was gone. One thing was for sure, Chuck was eagerly looking forward to what his son would make of his life. But that was tomorrow's problem.

Actually one of Chuck's biggest weaknesses was that he could never stand to see Sarah cry. Sarah actually wasn't too big on crying herself. Oh, she got tears in her eyes. That happened now and again. But Chuck could count the times that she was uncontrollably sobbing – like she was now – on one hand. And, while he was still incredibly pissed, that more or less melted away as he watched her sob. So, what's a guy to do? He sat next to her and allowed her to sob into his neck while he put his arms around her. He didn't say anything – words were not necessary. If anything, they would have been a distraction. It was simply Chuck telling Sarah that, no matter how annoyed he was, she was still the center of his universe – the great love of his life. That was one thing she could count on to never, ever change.

Finally Sarah stirred. "I'm very sorry that I punched you," she said. "I was trying to prove a point. I told you that I get crazy in those situations."

Chuck just sighed. "Fine," he said. "But next time you need to prove a point, please warn me first. That hurt."

"He's never going to forgive me," Sarah said.

"Who?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck Junior," Sarah said. "Heather was here when you were in the shower. She is going to break up with him – all because of me."

"Don't worry," Chuck said as he continued to hold her. "This is not your fault. If they are meant to be, they'll figure it out. If she is going to break up with him because of you – then she wasn't the one anyway."

x-x-x-x-x

It was quite possibly the very worst night of Heather's young life. Her formal date with Sparky – the one that she had been dreaming about for two whole days was simply awful – because it was so damn perfect. That much was clear from the moment that he picked her up. In the first place, whatever she thought of Elise, the girl could sure pick out a nice suit. In fact, Sparky was so good looking in that suit that she almost forgot for a moment where she was. She didn't believe that a man could actually look that good. Most all the men that she saw were in uniform. He literally took her breath away.

Then there was the second kick in the head. Why did he have to be so unbelievably sweet? All through dinner, he was making those amazing puppy-dog eyes at her. She knew that she had to tell him – but how could she possibly dump him when he was looking at her like that? Besides that they actually had their first serious conversation. Once they got to talking, they quickly found that they wanted the very same things out of life. It had always been Heather's dream to go to Medical School and open a General Practice. That's why she joined the Army in the first place. And now Sparky was telling her that is exactly what he wanted to do. How could that possibly be? You simply didn't stitch up some random guy on a mission – and discover that he was perfect for you – and them dump him the instant that you discovered that he was perfect. It didn't seem right. So she waited a while. Maybe there would be a better time to deliver the bad news while they were dancing. If he could only be just a little less perfect.

Of course, on the dance floor, things got even worse. Damn him for being so smooth. "I thought you were going to pretend to be a bad dancer," Heather said with a smile as they glided their way through the other couples on the floor. "What will Elise say?"

"Hey," Sparky said with his own laugh. "I'm already dead, right? If Elise doesn't kill me, my mom will. I might as well have some fun dancing. Maybe I'll impress you. Besides, such a beautiful lady deserves the best dancing, right?"

Heather got a little quiet. From anybody else that would have been a line that would have elicited a groan – except that he was clearly being genuine. She was now on the edge of being cruel – and she knew it. The longer she waited, the harder this was going to be. She had to tell him – now – or it was going to be too late. "Thank you," she said softly. "If impressing me was your objective, you've certainly succeeded. But, Sparky, I really need to tell you something."

"Okay," he said. "But just let me say one thing first. Elise was right about something else."

That piqued Heather's curiosity. "What's that?" she asked. "Besides the suit, that is."

"I've been dating the wrong girls," Sparky said softly. "Elise always accused me of picking girls based upon their bra size. I hope she was joking because that isn't true. But I guess I was afraid to date a woman that I had to work for. Elise was absolutely right about that. I just have to say this… you're incredible, Heather. The more I get to know you, the more incredible that I discover that you are. I could really, really fall hard for you. I mean, I'm sorry about all the games – but there it is." That was a hedge – and he knew it. The correct verb wasn't 'could'. He had already fallen – incredibly hard. "Elise let me down," he finally whispered. "She devised a complex plan designed to make you fall in love with me. She didn't say a damn thing about me falling in love with you. That seems like a major oversight in her planning."

The very last thing that Heather wanted or needed at that point was for him to kiss her. So why did she meet him half way? When their lips touched, it was nothing short of magical. It certainly wasn't the first time they had kissed. After all, she spent the night with him last night. They had sex – twice. That alone was a first date first for her. It even broke her own first rule of dating. But nothing last night even came close to the electricity that was now flowing between them. Heather had never felt anything like that in her whole life. All she knew was that she never wanted it to end. She even forgot for an instant that they were still on the dance floor.

Through her fog, Heather suddenly had an epiphany. Elise, damn her to hell, was completely right – about pretty much everything. For Heather, last night was just about casual sex – with a dashing, smooth, good-looking alpha-male type guy. It was okay – even more than okay. Sparky was a great guy. They had a good time. But she would be able to easily move on. There would always be the next alpha-male that would hit on her. It happened all the time. After all, she lived on an Army base. Guys like that were standing in line – quite literally.

But Heather finally realized what was bothering her. It was clear… tonight was at completely another level. Tonight was about beginning to fall in love – with the man who would someday become the father to her children… the one who she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. And thanks to his psycho-mom, she was about to dump this amazing man. Heather had given the sad news to her fair share of men before – but this… This was going to be very, very hard. Why did this night have to be so damn magical? Why did he have to be so perfect? Maybe he was adopted.

"I'm sorry," Sparky said as soon as the long kiss broke. "You wanted to tell me something…"

"Yes," Heather said. "Tell me something, Sparky. Are you following Elise's plan right now – or is this for real?"

Heather could instantly tell by the look on his face that she had said the wrong thing. He looked like a puppy that had just been scolded. And in that very instant… she knew what she had to do.

"I'm very sorry," Sparky said. "I thought that you knew. I was always treating her plan as a joke. Why else would I tell you about it? I would never want to trick you into anything as serious as falling in love. Where is the future in that?"

It's funny how life works. Heather had no intention of falling in love – with anybody. Love was for other people - the ones who could afford it. Sparky just mentioned the future. She always had her future well planned out. Finish her tour in the Army, go to medical school, finish her residency, and open her practice. There was simply no room in that plan for a husband. But as she looked at Sparky on that dance floor, something changed – or at least she now understood. All she could see was his amazing blue eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. It felt heavenly. She desperately needed for him to kiss her again. It was abundantly clear…

Heather Moore's five year plan now needed some serious revision.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah went to dinner alone. Sarah wasn't really up to any company. And honestly, none of the team was all that keen on spending time with her either. Kate had just been by to give her mother a close up look at a major tantrum due to her treatment of her new fiancé this morning. Chuck knew that there wasn't much he could say to cheer her up. So he just held her.

They must have fallen asleep on the couch – because the loud pounding on the door startled them both awake.

"Heather," Sarah said in surprise as she opened the door.

Heather simply pushed past her into the room. "Have you talked to Colonel Blum yet?" she demanded.

"Not yet," Sarah said sadly. "Don't worry. I promise that I will tomorrow morning."

"Don't," Heather said. "I've changed my mind. He's worth fighting for."

Sarah was confused. "Okay," she said. "Who are you going to fight?"

"Anybody you want," Heather said. "I'll fight Elise - or you - or both of you at the same time - or whomever else among your group of psycho-bitch friends you've got to get in our way. The hell with it, bring them all on. He's worth it. As a matter of fact, you got a lucky kick in this morning. Let's go again right now."

"Sweetie," Sarah said with a grin. "I don't want to fight you. I understand that I might look like a psycho-bitch to you. If I was in your shoes, I'd think the same thing. I'm doing it for a reason. Hopefully, you'll be able to see that in time. But believe me - I'm not trying to get in your way. I'll admit that I was pretty surprised to find you in his bed last night – but I'm rooting for you. This morning had nothing to do with you and my son being together – just like tomorrow morning won't. That's between you two."

Heather was still pumped up. "If you're not into being surprised, I'd stay away from his room tonight," she said angrily. "And if we do happen to fight tomorrow…"

Sarah just nodded for her to continue.

"Be prepared to have your ass kicked," Heather said as she left the room and slammed the door behind her.

Chuck could only stand there with his mouth hanging open. "Wow," he said. "What brought that on?" To his amazement, when he looked over at Sarah, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"There is only one thing that could possibly bring an outburst like that on," Sarah said as she started to laugh. "And that's love. I think that you've possibly just got your first glimpse at the girl who realizes that she is in love with your son. And perhaps of your future daughter-in-law."

"Next Thanksgiving should be interesting," Chuck said with his own grin. "Will she have calmed down? Or will she still be wanting to kick your ass?"

x-x-x-x-x

Alex and Katie were sitting cuddling on their own couch. For one thing, they were tired. It had been a long time since either had run ten miles. Kate was actually in a little better condition than Alex – but still… So when the knock came at the door, Kate got up to answer it - slowly.

"Dad," Kate said as she opened the door. He wasn't exactly the last person on earth that she expected – but still… "Come in."

"Alex," Chuck said. "Do you mind if I talk to my daughter alone for a second?"

As soon as Alex closed the bedroom door, Chuck turned to Kate. "I've never been more disappointed in you," he said.

To say that Kate was shocked… was a huge understatement. Dad had never been the disciplinarian. That was always Mom. Kate couldn't remember the last time that Dad had ever said a harsh word to her. He was always the comforting one. So she could already feel the tears filling her eyes. "Dad," she said. "I…"

"I'm not really finished," Chuck interrupted – perhaps a little more harshly than he intended. "Look, we both know that Mom is pretty intense. And she was unreasonable this morning. She intentionally didn't tell you the criteria that she was going to judge you on. And then to drive her point home, she punished you when you fell short. I don't blame you for thinking that wasn't fair."

Kate nodded – through her tears.

"But listen to me for a second," Chuck continued. "Her point this morning was absolutely right. If that situation had been real, you both would be dead. That is too horrible for her to even think about ever allowing to happen. She is trying to get you to see that. And I'll agree - her methods are a little extreme. I was pissed at her too. But she is doing it for one reason – because she loves you. Do you understand?"

Kate just nodded again.

"One more thing," Chuck said. "I'm not sure exactly what details Mom told you in Vegas. But I've seen first hand what she was willing to sacrifice to keep you safe. She's risked her life – and her dignity – so that you could have a normal childhood. I had to physically stop her from jumping on the first plane back from France when she thought that you were in danger. I saw the panic in her face. So you're the very last person in the whole world who should ever raise their voice in anger to her. That will never happen again. Do you understand me?"

Kate just nodded again. At least Chuck thought she nodded. She was shaking so badly that he really couldn't tell. So he opened his arms in invitation – and Kate quickly threw herself into them.

"Mom's scared to death," Chuck said as he gently rubbed her back. "These guys are playing for keeps. Shaw's plan was to make your mom watch everyone that she loved slowly bleed to death in front of her. And he's still out there somewhere. She loves you, Katie, just like I do. She's not willing to see you die without doing everything in her power to make you ready to defend yourself. And Mom only knows one speed. So, for the next few days, she's going to be pretty miserable to be around. She knows how devious our enemies are. She's going to be just as devious in getting you ready. So… you're going to do everything that she says – try your best – and keep telling yourself that she loves you. And when you can picture your hand around her throat – keep it to yourself – just like I will - okay?"

"Yes, sir," Kate said. Her voice was muffled by Chuck's shirt but there could be no mistaking that his point was made.

"Good," Chuck said. "That's all I ask for. I'm sorry that I got harsh with you. Now, while I talk to my future son-in-law, maybe you could go make up with her. She is completely devastated."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise and Joe were just getting ready for bed. After all, there wasn't very much to do on an army base. And any place within fifty miles was filled with twenty-two year old PFC's who would be looking to score with the new hot redhead. So they were surprised by the knock at the door.

"Heather," Elise said as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk for a minute?" Heather asked. Then with a glance to Joe she added, "in private?"

Joe could take a hint. "I'll be in bed," he said.

As soon as Joe closed the door, Heather took a deep breath. "I don't know any other way to do this," she said firmly. "So I'm just going to lay some cards on the table. Hopefully, you'll be equally candid."

Elise nodded.

"I'm pretty sure that I don't like you," Heather said. "But I'm also pretty sure that I'm about to fall in love with him. So tell me – what is the real nature of your relationship? Are you a competitor to me – or a potential ally?"

Elise wanted to smile. But she could see by the look on Heather's face that she was not kidding – at all. "I'm just a friend of the family," she finally said.

Heather raised her voice. "Bullshit," she yelled. But then she took a big sigh and calmed herself. "I'm sorry that I took that tone. But with all due respect, don't give me that. I've seen the way that you look at him - the way you held his hand. Please don't insult my intelligence by telling me that you're just friends."

Elise looked at Heather for a long time. "You're right," she finally said. "We're much more than friends. I love Sparky – more than you can possibly imagine. But it's nothing like you're thinking. I held him in the hospital on the day he was born. I helped raise him. I taught him how to swim… and how to throw a curve ball… and how to talk to girls. I'm the one that he comes to talk to when he's really down. I got him through the first time a girl broke his heart. I'm the one who he tells when something great happens to him. I've watched him grow practically overnight from an awkward teenager into – wow – such an unbelievably sweet and special and pretty much perfect man. I couldn't possibly be more proud of him. Indeed, I think of him as my very own. So, yes, I'm incredibly, unbelievably, insanely protective of him. If you're looking for an apology for that – too fucking bad. You can keep looking but you're never going to get one."

Heather jerked her head up – but didn't respond.

"I'm certainly not a competitor to you," Elise continued. "At least not in a romantic sense. Am I an ally? I sure could be. Once I'm sure that you're good for him. And quite frankly, the jury is still out on that. Understand something – the person that takes my place is going to go through me. You're not going to become that person until I'm sure that you're up to it. If that sounds like I'm jealous – okay. Maybe I am a little. I'm really going to miss what I've had with him for the last twenty years. I can promise you one thing - if you ever even think of hurting him, you'll be dealing with me. And what happened in that ring this morning will be child's play compared to it. Tell me, Lieutenant Moore… was that candid enough for you?"

Heather took a deep breath – and tried to blink back the tears. "Yes," she said. "Thank you. It was." At that point Heather's battle with her tears was lost. She was clearly struggling to keep her voice from breaking. "You're right," she said. "He is pretty much perfect. Could you please tell me what do I have to do to convince you that I'm not going to hurt him?"

Elise finally felt the smile come to her face. "You just said that you were about to fall in love with him," she said softly. "When you do fall in love with him, come back and we'll talk."

Heather tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "Okay," she whispered. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? I'm probably not fooling you at all."

Elise's smile turned soft. "No, Heather," she said softly. "You're really not. Is this your first time?"

Heather nodded as she continued wiping the tears from her eyes. "So," she said. "Could we please talk now? I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I could really use a friend."

Now Elise felt her own tears falling down her cheeks. She tried to speak… several times – but no words would come. "Yes, Heather," she was finally able to get out as she embraced her. "We can. I knew that this day would come – but I'm really going to miss him."

They just stood there holding each other for a long moment. Neither one bothered to wipe the tears from their eyes. "I don't see why you have to miss him," Heather finally said. "I'm fine with you being his friend."

"It doesn't work that way," Elise said with the beginnings of a smile. "We will always be friends… but there can only be one person who he first seeks out when he's happy – or sad. From now on, that needs to be you. Don't worry - that's as it should be."

"You said that you held him on the day he was born," Heather sighed wistfully. "Is there any chance that he's adopted?"

x-x-x-x-x


	26. Inducement of Enemy Personnel

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah has turned this training into a mini version of the CIA Agent Academy. First phase was to get in shape. The second phase was learning self-defense. Guess what the next phase will be…_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Inducement of Enemy Personnel**

x-x-x-x-x

Even though Sarah had generally a very lousy day yesterday, a few good things actually happened to her last night. First, Bryce finally called. He clearly sounded as relieved to hear his mom's voice as Sarah was to hear his. But it took talking to Ellie for Sarah to learn of the 'nightmare' that Bryce was undergoing. Sarah actually laughed out loud when she imagined poor Bryce lying by the pool, surrounded by bored teenaged girls in bikinis. She did warn him to start getting in top shape. After all, he would be joining the training sessions as soon as it was practical. He was instructed to run five miles every morning and afternoon. Devon was enlisted to make sure that he did it. Since Bryce had always clearly been Devon's favorite and Devon was always looking for someone to run with him anyway - that worked out perfectly.

The second thing was even better. Kate came by and tearfully apologized. Well, she eventually apologized. She spent the first several minutes clinging to Sarah sobbing. But even that part felt great. It had been a long time since that had happened. After all, Sarah knew that Kate depended on Janice and lately Elise for a lot of the mothering stuff. And she was fine with that. But it also felt great to be just pure mom herself – if only for a few minutes.

The third thing was almost as good. Heather stopped by… again. Her third visit of the day proved to be the best. She didn't exactly apologize – but she did agree to hold off on making any permanent judgments until after their training sessions were over. She even admitted that maybe Sarah was doing a good thing… and that she would try her best to live up to her expectations – both in training – and as the girl in love with her son. Sarah smiled at how she said it. Not only was it very cute - it showed that Elise was clearly coaching her. Her style was very obvious. That was a good sign. After all, Elise was fanatically protective of Chuck Junior. If Heather was good enough for Elise… she must be doing something right.

But the forth thing beat them all – put together. Chuck obviously had decided that her day had been bad enough – and that she needed to forget about it for a while. And when Chuck put his mind and the power of the intersect to work – he could make Sarah forget her own name. It had been a while since he had made that kind of effort – maybe her birthday.

So, all in all, Sarah was in a pretty good mood. Of course that didn't really change anything. They still needed to get in shape. And Shaw was still out there. They were still only kids. They still needed to learn some things to have a chance to defend themselves. And Sarah still only knew one way to do that…

But one thing that her good mood did change – she set the pace for the first mile a little slower. After all, she knew that they all, and especially the older ones, would have some stiff muscles from yesterday's workout that would need to be loosened up. But that was as soft as she would allow herself. After all, Agent Walker had to whip these rookies into shape. Enough with the lady feelings – it's time to pick up the pace.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they were done with their run, Sarah assembled her team. "We're going to do something a little different this morning," she said. "We will split up into four groups. The same pairings as yesterday. I have provided transportation that will take each group to different locations – all approximately twenty five miles away. You will be provided a map that shows your current location and a compass. It will be the junior agent's job to develop and execute a plan to get back to this point as quickly as possible – using any means necessary. The senior agent will act as someone of unknown allegiance. They will not assist in any planning – but they will carry out reasonable assignments as directed by the junior agent. The first team back will get a substantial reward. Are there any questions?"

"No, ma'am."

"Heather," Sarah said. "Chuck will be taking my place on your team this morning. Any objections?"

Heather looked confused for a moment. Was Sarah actually asking for her input? Or did she just feel badly because of yesterday? "No ma'am," she said quickly.

"Okay," Sarah said. "Good luck. And remember – your orders include using any means necessary."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate and Janice got into the jeep that Sarah indicated to them. They drove for about forty-five minutes. Kate was trying to keep track of any landmarks that might help – but there weren't many. For one thing, it was still pretty dark. And all of the scenery looked the same. Indeed, a good part of the journey was off road. When the driver finally stopped, he simply handed Kate a packet. Oh, he also clearly was checking her out. Kate's patience for unknown men ogling her was never high – but at this particular time, it was non-existent. Her scowl when he asked if there was anything else he could do for her left very room for interpretation. So he simply drove off.

Kate knew one thing. She was going to be the first one back. She needed to prove to her mom that she had what it takes. Alex and Sparky had already proven to her that they could be heroic. Heather was in the Army. Kate was the one that needed something to impress Mom with. Mom made a huge point out of saying to use any means necessary. But what did that mean? The only thing around her was rocks – for as far as the eye could see. Maybe Aunt Janice could help. So she put on her most pathetic face. "Do you know what to do?" she asked.

"Maybe," Janice said with a grin. "But my instructions are to follow your lead. You know your mom. If she finds out that I violated my orders, she'll have my guts for garters."

That actually sounded hopeful. Maybe she could talk Aunt Janice into helping. So she allowed some tears to flow. It was easy – all she had to do was think about her dad last night. "Please, Aunt Janice," she said. "This is hard for me. I'm not used to my mom acting like this. I really need to impress her. Can you please help me? This would just be between us."

Janice smiled. "Actually," she said. "Your mom is taking it easy. I remember her when she was your age. When she was on a mission, she was unbelievable. That's a main reason why she was so successful – but it also makes her tough to be around sometimes."

Kate just nodded. She didn't make any effort to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Can you help me?" she asked.

Janice sighed – and finally nodded. She held out her arms as an invitation – which Kate eagerly accepted. They held each other for a long moment. Unfortunately for Kate, she didn't feel a thing until the handcuff was already securely fastened to her wrist. Once it was in place, it was easy for Janice to use it as leverage to force her around and fasten the cuff to her other wrist behind her back.

"Aunt Janice," Kate cried. "What are you doing?"

Janice stepped up to face her. "Shut up," she said harshly. "You are my prisoner. If you say another word, I'll gag you. Nod if you understand."

Kate was stunned. She sure didn't want to be gagged – so all she could do was nod.

Janice took a phone out of her pocket. "I have her," was all that she said. It didn't take five minutes before two jeeps pulled up. Two men with masks hiding their faces stepped out of the lead jeep and up to Janice. "Take her to our base," Janice said to the men. "Find out what she knows – using any means necessary." Then she climbed into the other jeep and it took off.

x-x-x-x-x

That left Kate alone, hands cuffed behind her back, out in the wilderness, with the two masked men. They fairly roughly took her to their car and pushed her face first against it. Without the use of her arms, she was forced to lean against it. They kicked her legs apart and conducted a very through search. If they appeared to pay special attention to her chest – well it was because they did. They didn't go inside of her clothes – but it was well beyond any legitimate search for weapons. After they were finally satisfied that she wasn't hiding a Stinger missile inside of her bra, they put her in the back seat and put a hood over her head.

This drive wasn't nearly as long as the first one. But with the hood on her head, Kate had no clue where they were going – or even what direction they were traveling in. She knew better than to speak.

Once they stopped, Kate had no clue where she was. She guessed that she couldn't be back at the base, they hadn't driven long enough. She was dragged out of the car and led for a while – and then forced to sit in a chair. Her wrists, which were still cuffed behind her back, were fastened to the chair. Her ankles were securely fastened to the legs of the chair. She was completely secured and totally helpless. When the hood was removed all she could see was the bright light shinning into her face. The rest of the room was dark. She could only see the shadow of someone who she assumed was a man. Once he spoke, there was no longer any doubt.

"Agent Bartowski," he said calmly. "I'll bet you're wondering why you're here. Let me tell you. It's really pretty simple. I am going to ask you some questions. Cooperate and this phase of your interrogation will be over - painlessly. We might even become friends. Fail to cooperate and I'll be forced to find some way to convince you. Understand?"

He didn't wait for a response – and indeed, Kate knew better than to offer one anyway. "We are well aware that you know where your brother Bryce and Aunt Eleanor are," he said. "I want you to tell me where that is."

Kate's blood ran cold. She did know. Mom told her that Bryce called last night. She even knew the name of the resort. She just really didn't know what to do. She was pretty sure that Aunt Janice wouldn't really deliver her to bad guys. This must be part of the exercise. But she also was scared. Aunt Janice was nowhere to be found – and this was getting a little too real. Even if it was part of an exercise, she knew that she couldn't tell him. She would have to hold out for as long as possible. Mom would have a fit if she gave up Bryce and Aunt Ellie. So she just looked straight ahead.

"I didn't think so," the man said. Kate could only watch in horror as he reached forward and slowly and methodically unbuttoned the top button of her shirt. "One thing that you should know about me," he said as he moved to the next button. "I enjoy my work. In a few minutes, I'm thinking that I might really start to enjoy it. After all, Agent Bartowski, you are really quite lovely. Unfortunately, this plain uniform doesn't come close to doing you justice. Maybe I can help you with that. Now, Kate, please - where are your brother and Aunt?"

Kate couldn't see his face. All she could see was a shadow. But his words – and the smug arrogance in his voice was plain. It was clear what was going to happen if she didn't speak.

"I'm sorry. May I call you Kate? I don't want to appear forward." the man said sarcastically after waiting for a moment for her response. When he was satisfied that she wasn't going to offer one, the next button was opened. And then the final one. "Come on, Kate. You seem like an intelligent young lady. Let's face some facts here. You're eventually going to tell me everything I want to know anyway. We both know it. Why don't you make it easy on yourself? Pretty soon, you'll be wishing that you had even some more things to tell me. You might as well do it while you still have some clothes on, right? After all, it would be a shame if your new fiancé had to see a tape that – well, quite frankly might disturb him." He slowly pulled each side of her shirt open exposing her lacy bra. "I was right. It's criminal to put such a lovely woman in such a plain uniform. I'm going to ask you one last time before this gets serious. Where are your brother and Aunt?"

Kate knew that she couldn't tell him. But how far was this going to go? She was having a hard time keeping the tears away. The last thing that she wanted was to show him that she was afraid – but she clearly was.

"Okay, Kate," he said. "I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way."

But suddenly Kate's question was answered. The bright light was turned off and the regular lights in the room were turned on. As soon as Kate could focus, she saw her mom standing there. Kate had never been happier to see her – ever.

Sarah walked up to stand directly in front of Kate. "Okay, Katie, I'll give you one guess as to where that was quickly headed," she said. Then she turned to the man. "Captain Green, thank you and your men for your assistance. They all performed admirably. I will write a personal letter to Colonel Blum expressing my gratitude."

"Thank you, ma'am," Green said. "I appreciate that very much. Trust me, I and my men are incredibly honored to even meet you, let alone assist you in some way. If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know. Good luck with the rest of your training." Then he turned to semi-face Kate. He didn't look directly at her – clearly he was being respectful of the fact that she was only wearing a sheer bra. "I hope that wasn't too traumatic for you, Miss Bartowski," he said. "I needed it to seem as real as possible – but I have a daughter of my own about your age."

As soon as Captain Green left the room, Sarah turned to face Kate again. "Needless to say," she said. "Your performance in this exercise was beyond abysmal. I'm truly sorry that you had to go through that. In real spy training, that would have gone much, much, much farther. You just witnessed a tiny, tiny sample of what a female agent can expect when she is captured. The only positive about your performance is that you were able to hold out for a while. But you would have certainly given up your brother and Aunt Ellie – and eventually anything else that they wanted to know. You also would have been killed. But ask your Aunt Janice sometime how they would have done it. They sometimes would have gone so far as to tape your last few hours of life – and made sure that your parents – and Alex got a copy. Katie, I'm not telling you this to try and scare you. You simply need to understand what you're facing."

Kate was too relieved to be scared – or angry. "Yes, ma'am," she finally said with a sigh. "Actually Aunt Janice and I have already had this discussion. She told me all about Bogotá – and how you rescued her at the last minute."

"You were told that your agent partner was of unknown allegiance," Sarah said. "Wasn't that a tip off that you should have been wary of her?"

Now Kate was embarrassed. She could feel the redness rapidly creeping up her neck. "Yes, ma'am," she said.

"Trust me," Sarah said. "I understand that you love Janice – and would trust her implicitly. But Daniel Shaw can also be quite charming when it suits his purpose. All agents can be. They are trained to get close to people. And that's not always by using sex. Sometimes they will pretend to be your friend."

"Yes, ma'am," Kate said. "Will you please release me?"

"In a few minutes," Sarah said. "You need to spend some time learning how awful it feels. Feeling helpless is the worst feeling in the world, isn't it?

"Yes, ma'am," Kate whispered.

"The real shame is that none of this was necessary," Sarah said. "Your mission was ridiculously easy. Janice tells me that your driver was giving you every indication that he was interested. A little bit of flirting, and he almost assuredly would have driven you right back to the base. Your instructions said to use any means necessary. Just what do you think that means anyway?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kate said. "It's just that I hate flirting with men. It's demeaning. And I'm engaged."

Sarah actually smiled. "As your mother that sort of makes me happy," she said. "Unfortunately, as your instructor, it's completely unacceptable. Katie, you have a weapon that most agents can only dream about. Think about your choice today. If you're worried about Alex, tell me which he would have preferred. Hearing about a little harmless flirting with a guy that you're never going to see again… or having to watch a tape of you being gang-raped to death? There is simply a stark reality here. If you're going to live in this world, you need to learn how to use that weapon. It's the main one that you have. I think that Janice and Elise will have to take charge of this part of your training. It would be too awkward for both of us. Besides, they're both better at it."

"Yes, ma'am," Kate said.

"If it's any consolation," Sarah said. "Heather is in a room just down the hall. She is in the same exact situation as you are. Her Army training probably helped her keep her composure a little better than you did. But only a tiny bit. Elise is having this very same conversation with her as we speak. Chuck Junior also failed almost as miserably. He put up a better fight – but still…"

Kate's eyes got big. "What about Alex?" she asked. Then she remembered her place. "I mean, ma'am."

Sarah's smile turned into a huge grin. "Alex actually passed," she said. "You are going to be very proud of him. Elise attempted to distract him by pretending to be hot and taking off some clothes. He didn't go for it at all. He saw the cuffs coming and was able to turn the tables on her. Trust me, Elise is very embarrassed. Seduction is her specialty."

Kate didn't say anything. But she was, indeed very proud.

"Let's you and I make a deal," Sarah said. "I understand that you are very bashful about showing men your body. You always have been. There is not a thing in the world wrong with that. I'm not trying to turn you into Elise or Janice. As a matter of fact, I would be horrified if that happened. But you do need to learn how to manipulate men. It could very well save your life some day. Flirting is part of that. If you and Heather will go with Elise and Janice this afternoon – and promise to really try, I'll release you. I'll get your dad and together we'll talk to Chuck Junior and Alex to make sure they understand. After all, we don't want to hurt your relationships. Elise and Janice are going give you some instruction and then give you an exercise – a final exam of sorts. If you pass, I'll drop the punishment for your ridiculous performances today."

Kate sighed. "Mom… umm… I mean ma'am," she stammered. "I don't want to do anything that would hurt Alex. Please don't make me cheat on him."

"I understand," Sarah said. "Katie, right now, I'm your mom. It's okay to call me that. Trust me, sweetie, I don't want anything to hurt Alex either. There is no way that I would ever allow you to cheat on Alex in an exercise. If you learn the right methods, you'll never have to cheat on him. I've never cheated on your dad – and I never will. And I've been a spy and with him for some twenty-five years now. I promise that nobody will ask you to do anything that Alex won't be completely on board with – after I talk with him anyway. I'll also drop the drill instructor routine. Do we have a deal?"

"You'll stop screaming at us and tricking us?" Kate asked. 'I'd do almost anything for that… deal."

"Only if you pass," Sarah said. "Because then my job will be done. I'll be confident that you have a chance. We'll still work out every morning. There are still some things you need to learn. I want to teach you how to effectively use a gun. But we'll do it together – as your mom. I won't be the instructor."

Kate looked at her mom's face for the first time – and the light went on. "This morning was harder on you than it was on me," she said. "All of this training stuff has been harder on you. Admit it."

Sarah tried to blink away the tears – but she wasn't totally successful. "I never wanted you kids involved with this life," she said. "Watching you being interrogated this morning was perhaps the worst moment of my life. I kept imagining it happening for real. That would destroy me. But there is only one way to keep that from happening. If you are going to be involved, you have to learn to survive. I only know one way to do that. Believe me - I never wanted to be Sarah Walker again. Trust me on this, sweetie - I hate her way more than you do."

Kate's arms were still secured. She couldn't reach out and hug her mom like she desperately wanted to. So all she could do was smile at her. "In that case, I'd better pass," she said as her smile turned into a huge grin. "Because we really need to kill that bitch."

Sarah made no effort to wipe the tears that were freely flowing down her face – but she joined Katie in her big grin. "You're right, sweetie," she said. "We really do."

x-x-x-x-x


	27. Final Exam

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah has taught the kids all that she could given the amount of time that she had. She taught them to be in shape, fight when only absolutely necessary – and run the first chance you get, be careful who you trust, and that you have to use every weapon at your disposal. Let's see what they've learned._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Final Exam**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah didn't give the two young couples much time alone. Oh, she knew that they needed a little. After all, they had all had quite a traumatic morning. All of them, except for Alex, had been captured and treated harshly. Heather, in particular, was still quite shaken. But Sarah didn't want them to talk about what was going to happen this afternoon. She wanted a chance to talk to the guys first. And the last thing that Kate and Heather needed was any more guilt. So Sarah told them to tell the guys as little as possible. And if they pressed, to tell them that this afternoon was going to be spent in weapons training. That was true, after all. It's just that Kate and Heather had a different kind of weapon. So she gave them a couple of hours to relax in their rooms and told them to report back to the parade grounds at thirteen hundred.

The kids weren't the only ones that were eager to be alone. Joe was acting like a kid counting the minutes before Christmas morning. And based upon the obvious redness in Elise's face, Sarah quickly surmised that they had made a bet on this morning's outcome. And since Elise had failed to capture Alex, the winner was clear. Sarah smiled – after all, she was very familiar with that kind of bet – from both the winning and losing side.

Sarah clearly wasn't the only one who figured that out. Chuck grinned at Joe. "Are you sure that two hours are going to be enough?" he asked.

"Phase one only," Joe replied with his own grin. "I've suddenly discovered that I love Alex. I'm going to have to buy him a present – what kind of car does he like?"

Elise's face got even redder – if that was even possible. She didn't often lose these bets with Joe – almost never, actually. So she knew that he was going to take full advantage. She also knew pretty much what he was going to ask for.

x-x-x-x-x

Kate knew very well how she was going to spend her two hours. Alex deserved a huge, huge reward. After all, Elise was an expert, world class seductress. According to Mom, she was one of the best in the whole world at getting men to do what she wanted. She had just given it her best effort to distract Alex enough to capture him. And while he really wouldn't tell her what exactly happened, Kate could sure as hell guess. It clearly involved Elise showing Alex some skin. And her Alex turned her down flat.

"I'm so proud of you," Kate sighed – as soon as they were alone in their room – and she could come up for air. "You're a natural at this spy stuff. Why are you doing so much better than the rest of us?"

"Come on, Katie," Alex said. "Do you really think that another woman could tempt me with sex? That's just plain crazy. I'm already sleeping with the most beautiful woman in the world. I happen to be head-over-heels in love."

Kate looked at Alex with a grin. It was a very, very good answer. He actually sounded offended – and he looked so amazingly adorable. "I'm sorry," she said. "Please don't take that the wrong way. I know that I don't have anything to worry about. It's just nice to be reminded every once in a while."

"So," Alex said. "Why don't you tell me how your morning went? Heather was pretty shaken. What in the world happened, anyway?"

"Sorry," Kate said with a sly grin. "That's classified. If you really want to know, you're going to have to interrogate me. And there is really only one way to get me to talk."

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky was getting concerned. Heather was really shaken by her experience this morning. So all he could do was hold her – for a long time. "Don't worry," he finally said. "I'll talk to my mom. This is just too much to expect you to handle."

Heather just looked at him. "Please," she said. "Don't give up on me. Not so soon. I'm really trying."

Sparky was surprised at the desperation in her voice. "I'm not giving up on you," he said. "Why would you think that?"

Heather was quiet for quite a while. "You grew up in this family of bad asses," she finally said. "You're used to it. I'm not. I'm really trying… but your mom scares me. I thought that your dad might be okay… so I hug him… then he cuffs me and turns me over to a group of bad guys. I just don't know what to think. I'm trying so very hard to impress them – and all I do is get my ass kicked and strip searched. They're going to think I'm a sissy."

Sparky just smiled. "Nobody thinks that you're a sissy," he said. "You just went toe-to-toe yesterday with one of the top agents in the world. You bloodied her nose. I'll tell you what - let's make a deal. I won't give up on you – and you won't give up on me. My family can actually be nice. You just caught them at a very bad time."

x-x-x-x-x

Once they got back together, the first thing that Elise and Janice did was to take the girls shopping. Well, that was actually the second thing. The first thing was that both had some major fences to mend with Kate. Janice had it pretty easy. All she had done was double-cross her on this morning's mission. But that was her assignment. Kate sort of understood that. Elise, on the other hand, had just attempted to seduce Alex. That was going to earn her an icy shoulder for some time. But finally, Elise was able to convince Kate that no seduction was ever really going to take place. And she was also able to point out that Alex had come through with flying colors. And, indeed, now Kate knew that Alex only had eyes for her. So if she ever had any question about that - it was put to bed. The argument seemed to appeal to Kate – to a point. It helped even more when Elise entertained them with the heavily edited story of her losing her bet with Joe. Kate had to admit, it was funny… a little creepy perhaps… but funny. She still wasn't ready to hug Elise – but she also gave up on her plan to 'accidentally' stab her in the heart with a steak knife at dinner tonight. So all in all, they called it good.

Then it was time for some shopping. After all, you weren't going to be seducing anybody wearing fatigues. They all bought what Janice called the Agent Seduction Uniform. It consisted of a plain semi-transparent white blouse, a navy blue skirt, and matching pumps. Then it was off to Victoria's Secret shopping for sexy underwear. And actually, Kate and Heather might have had a good time there laughing at some of the outrageous outfits. After all, they were quickly becoming close friends – if they didn't fully understand why they would possibly need sexy underwear. But they did.

It's funny. One would have thought that it would be Kate that would be more apprehensive about this training. But it was actually Heather. Kate was completely confident that Alex understood. She was very secure in their relationship. She knew that Alex loved her unconditionally – and that wasn't going to change. He might not like it if she flirted with a guy on a mission. But he wouldn't get mad. Her guy was simply amazing. If anything he would be worried about how she felt. She actually looked forward to putting on a big show of making it up to him. No, Kate's problem had nothing to do with Alex. She just didn't like men looking at her chest – she never had. It made her feel self-conscious. Kate always wanted to be judged on her intellect – not her figure. It always frustrated her when people would assume that a pretty girl couldn't be smart. Besides, she wasn't sure if she could be effective. She couldn't keep the look of distain off her face whenever she would hear one of her friends flirting with some guy. It was sickening.

With Heather, it was exactly the opposite. She actually enjoyed it when men would check her out. She even wasn't above dressing to encourage it. It had been a point of contention between her and her dad on more than one occasion. But Heather was on the edge of panic that Sparky would take any flirting the wrong way. And where Kate and Alex were clearly meant for each other Heather wasn't nearly as sure that Sparky was completely there yet. They were just too new. After all, they really hadn't formally said 'I love you' to each other yet. So she surely wasn't ready to test him. The last thing that she needed was something to get between them at this point. And really, if Heather would be truly honest, she was torn over which she feared more. That Sparky would get jealous – or that he wouldn't.

So when they got to the bar, Janice and Elise knew that they had some work to do. So they sat at a table and ordered a drink.

"I don't understand," Kate said as she cautiously took a sip. "How do you know how far to go?"

"Come on, Katie," Elise said. "No one can tell you that. It's always a pure judgment call. Sometimes it would be worth it to go quite far."

"How far?" Kate asked skeptically. "When?"

"Okay," Elise said. "Let me give you an extreme example. We'll see how far you would go. Daniel Shaw's gang has captured Alex. He is probably being tortured as we speak. He definitely doesn't have more than a few hours left to live. We have a team in the area ready to rescue him. There is only one small problem. We don't know where he's being held. But see that guy at the bar?" She indicated a man in his fifties sitting at the bar nursing a beer.

Kate nodded. The man that Elise indicated was pretty overweight. He also looked very comfortable on that bar stool. He was clearly a regular.

"He knows where Alex is being held," Elise continued. "He saw them dragging him out of the car earlier when he was making a delivery. He is able to convince you that he does know. He is able to describe what Alex was wearing perfectly. He might be willing to tell you – but he wants something. Guess what he wants, Katie. He looks at you – and he likes what he sees. He likes it a lot. That's not a big stretch – most men would. It's no skin off his nose either way if Alex lives or dies. He really doesn't want to get involved - he just sees an opportunity to get laid. I mean look at him – it's probably been a while. He just figures if he is going to do you a favor, it's only fair that you should do one for him. That's just the way guys like him think. Now, Katie, you could probably arrest him – take him in – torture the information out of him. But that would be too late. By the time you got the information out of him Alex will already be dead. How far would you go to find out where Alex is? Would you take him in the back room and give him what he wants to save Alex's life?"

Kate just looked at her.

Elise just stared back at her for a long moment. "You know Katie," she finally said. "When these sick bastards are torturing somebody to death they like to do it slowly. They enjoy making their victim suffer as much as humanly possible. The preferred method is by slowly breaking bones. First it's usually the fingers, then the arms, then finally the legs. By the time they get to the legs, he's usually already dead. Every minute that you sit there staring at me, Alex is that much closer to losing another finger."

"Yes," Kate finally said angrily. "You want me to say it – fine. I would make the deal. If there was even a ten percent chance that it would save my Alex, I would take that guy in the back room and fuck his brains out. There, I said it. Are you happy?"

"Katie," Elise said sadly. "I know that our relationship has taken quite a hit in the past few days. A lot of that is my fault. I went sort of crazy with Sparky's seduction lessons. I'm very sorry that I took my personal issues out on you. But if you think that I take any pleasure in making you face that horrible choice – wow – we really have some making up to do. You needed to say it, sweetie. Not for my benefit, I already knew the answer. You needed to admit it to yourself."

Kate nodded – and held out her hand. "I love you," she said. "That hasn't changed."

"I know," Elise said with the beginnings of a smile as she grabbed Kate's hand. "So, Heather, how about you? Stop telling me how much you love Sparky. Are you willing to make that sacrifice to save his life?"

Heather quickly nodded. "Yes," she said. "Of course. There would be no decision to make."

"Good," Elise said. "I hope that after he finally told you and after Alex and Sparky were safe that you would shoot him in the head. But tell me something, Katie. Don't you think that Alex would understand what you did? Don't you think he would be grateful? Or would he think that you cheated on him?"

Kate took a deep breath – and calmed herself. "He would understand," she finally said. "Of course he would."

"You're right," Elise said. "Of course he would. He would do the same thing for you in a heartbeat. So, Heather, if Sparky would understand the sacrifice that you made on your back with that guy – surely he would understand you smiling at him – maybe touching his arm and laughing at his stupid suggestive joke – or on the outside, standing where he can get a small peek down your shirt – don't you think? After all, even though it's something that girls do in bars every night - that would be a sacrifice for you. Nobody is expecting you to enjoy it. And trust me, that is as far as we're ever talking about you going."

"Here is the world's worst kept secret," Janice said. "Men want to do things for beautiful girls. They just do. Come on, girls. You know this already. You don't need us to teach you how to be attractive to men. You already are. All you need is some… motivation. That brings us to your assignment."

"Your assignment is ridiculously easy," Elise said. "It is currently just before fifteen hundred. Rogue Agents Bartowski and Walker have captured Sparky and Alex and are holding them at an undisclosed location somewhere on the base. Your mission is to rescue them. Accomplish that before eighteen hundred and you pass. You are authorized to use any means necessary."

"I don't understand," Heather said. "We don't know where they are. That's only three hours. The base is huge. How can we possibly find them in that amount of time?"

"I don't know," Janice said. "That's up to you. I am authorized to give you some information that might help. See those two solders at the end of the bar?"

Heather nodded.

"They know where Sparky and Alex are," Janice said. "Agent Walker has been using the men to help with her training. Those two drove them to where they are. Their orders were to drop them off, report here until eighteen hundred and then come back and get them."

"They have orders to stay here," Heather said, more to herself than anybody. "They would risk getting in trouble by leaving early."

"That's right," Janice said with a grin. "They would. They would need to be talked into it."

"Here are some ground rules," Elise said. "Heather can't use the fact that she is an officer. You can't tell them that this is an exercise. If you do decide to identify yourself to them, it will be as undercover Agents Moore and Bartowski. Anything that you tell them, they have to believe is real. And this is the most important rule – when you actually do have sex with them, you have to insist that they use a condom."

Elise couldn't help but laugh at the looks of horror on their faces. "Come on, girls," she said as soon as she could get the words out. "I'm just teasing. The other rule is there will be no touching on this assignment – flirting only."

Kate and Heather both breathed huge sighs of relief. "Very funny," Kate said. "You're a regular comedian. Now, what should we do?"

"That's your assignment to figure out," Elise said. "There are a lot of different ways you could go. Just look at them. They are fresh out of basic training. They haven't seen a woman in ten weeks – much less two as incredible as you. Unbutton one more button on your blouse, smile at them and you should be able to talk them into driving you to Mexico if you wanted too. Getting them to take you to where Sparky and Alex are is almost too easy. Kate, your mom clearly wants you to pass. She could have made this a lot harder."

"So," Kate said. "How do we approach them?"

"I don't know," Janice said as she looked at her watch. "All I do know is that the clock is ticking. Need I remind you what is at stake? If you pass this test, Agent Walker goes on permanent vacation. How great would that be? If you fail, you're going to have to deal with one pissed off team. I certainly wouldn't want to be in your shoes at dinner tonight."

"One thing is for sure," Heather said. "We're not going to be doing anything just sitting here." She reached down and unbuttoned her top button. Then she glared at Kate. Her meaning was clear.

Kate paused for a moment. Then she sighed – and unbuttoned her own top button. "I feel like such a slut," she said sadly.

"That's good," Heather said. "Actually, I'm thinking that's the kind of woman those two will be hoping for anyway."

x-x-x-x-x


	28. The Birth of Agent Sarah Walker

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah has several things that need to be accomplished today. Most immediate is giving Kate and Heather a legitimate exercise. She also needs to make the guys understand what she is asking Kate and Heather to do – and that it's no threat to their relationships. High on her priorities is to make Chuck Junior and Alex understand who she was – and is._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Birth of Agent Sarah Walker**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah knew that this was going to be a tough afternoon for her. After all, it had been the hardest thing that she had ever done in her life. And even though she had told Chuck most of this story, it was something that they never discussed beyond the initial time that she told him. He could tell that it was something that she didn't want to have to even think about – much less talk about it. He had read the mission reports. So he knew most of the general details.

Sarah led Alex and Chuck Junior into the briefing room that was adjacent to the shooting range. She had let Joe give the guys their shooting lesson. And they actually performed amazingly well. After all, they had been using the tranq-guns for a while. Real guns were not that big of a stretch. Once they got used to the recoil, it was pretty much the same. So, all in all, they were feeling pretty good about themselves.

"Have a seat, guys," Sarah said as she let out a big sigh. "It's time that you heard about my mission in Italy. Before I tell you this story, I just want to warn you. There are some details that are going to shock you. Please keep in mind, this was well before I met Chuck."

Sparky and Alex just nodded their understanding.

"Okay," Sarah began. "I was on my own because my partner, Janice, was still in the hospital from Bogotá. I think that you've heard enough about that to know what happened there, so I won't bother with any details. Anyway, they must have been impressed by my mission in Bogotá because we had only been there a few days when I got a phone call from the Director himself. That in itself was unusual for such a junior agent. Before I knew it, I was ordered back to Washington and I was in his office being briefed about my next assignment. It all started with some intelligence that we were getting about a new terrorist group who was planning on something big to make a name for themselves. That's about all that we knew. So, later that day, I find myself on a plane to Rome. My assignment was to infiltrate the group and find out what they were planning. Naturally, my orders said to use any means necessary. When they say those words to a female agent, it's a code phrase. What they are really saying is… something else."

Chuck Junior's face immediately turned red – but he didn't say anything.

"We didn't know much about the terrorist group," Sarah said. "As a matter of fact, at first we didn't even know its name. We only knew the identity of one member. He was a low level person named Serge. They had surveillance on him. So it was pretty easy to find him in a bar – and even easier to pick him up. He was a bit of a horn dog – if you know what I mean."

"Pick him up?" Chuck Junior asked. "You mean that you went home with him?"

"I didn't sleep with him," Sarah said. "If that's what you're asking. I did date him a few times – and we had a couple of pretty heavy make-out sessions. But really, I just wanted to get Serge to introduce me to the leader of the group. Eventually, I was able to gain his trust enough so that happened. It turned out that the leader's name was Stephen. Once he did introduce us, I went behind Serge's back and made a date with this Stephen character. It was pretty easy. He had been clearly checking me out pretty overtly. He was obviously interested. That's when the fun started…"

x-x-x-x-x

Kate and Heather left Janice and Elise sitting at the table and huddled together for a quick strategy session.

"Look," Kate said. "Let's face it. Neither of us wants to do this, right?"

Heather smiled. "I can safely say that's correct," she said. "But we have to, right? Your mom is depending on us."

"I know," Kate said with a sigh. "We have to. So let's approach it like we have to. That might make it easier. Tell me something, Heather. Be completely honest with me. Are you going to be my sister someday?"

"Completely honest?" Heather asked. "I don't know. That's sort of up to your brother. Elise thinks so. I sure hope so. Anything that you could do to put in a good word for me – I'd really appreciate it. Was that what you wanted to know?"

Kate smiled. "Yes," she said. "It was. For what it's worth, I agree with Elise. I've seen Junior with a lot of women – but I've never seen him act like this."

Heather had to blink back some tears. "Thanks," she finally was able to whisper. "That means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to it. I don't have a sister."

Kate's smile turned into a grin. "I don't have a sister either," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it too." Then Kate's face got decidedly serious for a moment. "Okay, sis," she said. "Follow me. I know exactly what to do. You can owe me one."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior listened to the rest of his mom's story in silence. Finally, he sighed. "Let me get this straight," he said. "You pretended to be this terrorist leader's girlfriend for two weeks – and that gave you inside access to their plans. I assume that meant that you… umm…"

"Yes, sweetie," Sarah said sadly. "We might as well get this over with. I slept with him. I tried to string him along for a while. But he was clearly getting suspicious. I could tell that their plan was much bigger and more dangerous than we originally thought. I found out that they planned on using the Italian President to gain control over Italy's portion of NATO's nuclear weapons – and then targeting the capitals of Europe. At first, I thought that was just a fantasy. You know how these terrorist groups think. They always have these ridiculous dreams of blowing up the world. But the more I found out about the plan, the more it sounded real. I just didn't really know exactly how – or when. There was no way to stay close enough to the group without giving in and sleeping with him. So I did – a few times. If you don't mind, I'd like to not share any of the gory details about the sex part. Suffice it to say, he was very demanding – and not all that gentle."

"Tell me," Alex said, more to change the subject than anything. "I'm curious. Did their plan have a legitimate chance to succeed? It seems like nuclear weapons are pretty well safe guarded."

"I'm not going to tell you any details," Sarah said. "Because that is very sensitive information. But, yes, their plan probably would have worked. It caused NATO to form an emergency conference to review and change their entire procedure involving nuclear weapons."

Alex nodded.

"So," Sarah continued. "I had a big problem. I eventually found out what their plan was – but I had no way of telling anybody without blowing my cover. They were watching me really closely. I couldn't just leave. It was crucial that somebody be on the inside when this all went down. A key part of their plan was to kidnap the President's daughter."

"They were going to force the President to give up the nukes to save his daughter?" Chuck Junior asked.

"No," Sarah replied. "It was a feint. They knew that the President would never give up the nukes. Besides, no one man can authorize nuclear weapons. They understood the rules regarding the authorization process. They knew that it called for anyone to be temporarily removed from the authorization chain when they were under personal stress. So they kidnapped his daughter to force that to happen. I'm being intentionally vague here but they had it worked out that the President stepping aside would eventually put their man in charge of the launch codes. Long story short, I was able to identify the General who was part of the gang. When their plan went down I was there to tip off our people. There was a big gun and hand-to-hand fight – and the plan was foiled. Over fifty of the terrorists were killed – and seven of our agents."

"Why have I never heard of this before?" asked Chuck Junior. "You would think that this would be a famous story."

"The news of this plot was never reported," Sarah said. "The last thing that NATO wanted was for the world to know how close it came to losing control of its nukes."

"What happened to the daughter?" Alex asked.

Sarah's eyes immediately filled with tears. "She was killed," she finally said. "I wasn't able to save her. I tried my best. In the cover stories, they said that she was killed in a car accident."

"I'm sorry," Alex said. "That must have been horrible."

Sarah just nodded while she fought to keep her composure. Eventually she broke down and reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "She died in my arms," she was finally able to say. "If I had just been a few seconds quicker – she might have…"

At that point Sarah lost her battle for composure. She paused for a long time.

"She was so brave," Sarah finally was able to continue – but her voice was breaking. "She died asking if her mommy was all right. I actually think about her a lot. She would have been in her early thirties now. We'll never know what would have become of her life. Who would have been her great love? How many children would she have had? It doesn't seem fair, does it? I'm the one who messed up – yet I get to have a family. She never will.

Sarah again lost her battle for composure. As a matter of fact, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"That's when I decided," Sarah continued. "In order to survive in this business, I needed to take my personal feelings and bury them deep – where they wouldn't interfere. That's where the Agent Walker that you've been seeing for the past few days was born."

Chuck was just getting ready to step in when his son slid over and sat next to his mom. Chuck Junior put both his arms around her and squeezed her tight. He had never seen his mom like this. "Stop," he said gently. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. You didn't kill that little girl."

"Of course not," Alex softly added. "If anything, you saved a million little girls that day. Imagine all the love stories and weddings and babies being born that would never have happened if you hadn't been so incredible."

Sarah eventually nodded. She kissed Chuck Junior on the forehead. Then she reached out her hand to Alex – who immediately grabbed it.

"You said that this story would embarrass us both," Chuck Junior said. "I'm not embarrassed. Why are you? Because you slept with a terrorist a couple of times to save the lives of a hundred million people?"

Sarah just shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm pretty confident that you would understand about that. It's not a pleasant thing to think about – but it was necessary. I'm embarrassed because of the person that this life changed me into. I turned into someone who could tell herself that a beautiful seven year old girl being killed was an 'acceptable' loss for the greater good. I was pretty messed up for quite a while. If it wasn't for meeting your dad and having his family, I'd still be messed up. As it is, Agent Walker is obviously still around. When I'm under stress, she comes out. I'm so sorry. You hate her. I hate her. I want her gone."

Alex reached over and grabbed Sarah's arm. "I hope I'm not speaking out of turn," he said. "I know that I haven't been part of the family for very long. But I have to tell you. Mom, I'm so proud of you that I can't describe it. You're an amazing hero. You risked your life – but that's not what makes you so amazing. You risked the very thing that made you you. You gave up on having a normal person's feelings – to save untold millions of lives. So, please don't apologize for Agent Walker. We're very, incredibly proud of her – even if we're being screamed at. We still love her very much."

"Thanks, Alex," Sarah said. "Don't apologize for not being part of the family long. You've earned your spot."

Alex nodded with a grin. "Thanks," he said. "You're right that Agent Walker has to go. You're just not right about the reason. It's not about us hating her. It's that we don't want to see what she is doing to you."

Sarah's eyes were shinning as the hint of a smile appeared. "Hopefully Agent Walker can go now," she said. "She's done everything that she can. You guys know how to shoot – and how to fight – and how devious your enemies can be. The girls have one more lesson to learn. Ironically, how successful they are going to be depends on you two."

"Us?" Chuck Junior questioned. "How does it depend on us?"

"The main weapon that a female agent has is the way men act around her," Sarah replied. "I have no doubt that Kate and Heather can use that weapon. The only thing stopping them is you. Sweetie, you just said that you understood when I had to sleep with a terrorist to save a lot of lives. Let me ask you a question. If Heather was doing that right now – would you be as understanding?"

Chuck Junior grimaced – and opened his mouth – but he didn't say anything.

Now the smile on Sarah's face was more obvious. "It's okay, sweetie," she said. "Don't worry. Heather isn't sleeping with anybody. She'll never have to face that choice. Even I would have a lot harder time now that I'm married. It would have to be a desperate situation before I would go that far – and your dad would have to be on board. But Heather smiling at a man – and maybe standing where he can look down her shirt could very well save a bunch of lives someday – including yours. But she will never do that knowing that it would hurt you. Will you allow her to use her weapon by controlling your jealousy? Alex, the same question goes for you. Will you let Kate use her weapon? Or will your jealousy block her?"

Alex didn't answer – directly. He looked at Chuck. "How did you do it?" he asked. "Don't you get jealous?"

Chuck just laughed. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "At first I went nuts. All I could think about was her smiling with another guy. After all, I knew exactly what those guys were thinking."

"He has been amazing," Sarah said softly as she smiled at her husband. "He has seen things that will never be asked of Kate or Heather. He's seen me pick up guys in bars. He's seen me promise to sleep with them. He's seen guys feeling me up. He's even seen me get naked once. And he's never made me feel guilty about any of those things – not once. I can't tell you how great that makes me feel."

Chuck Junior turned toward Chuck. "Dad," he said. "How did you do that?"

"A few things," Chuck said as he smiled back at his wife. "First off, I love her. Making her worry about me makes her less safe. That fact alone is unacceptable. But I also know that she loves me. She would never, ever do anything to hurt me. And after I thought about it for a while, I realized that she was just acting anyway. She couldn't stand those guys. She was playing them. Finally, we negotiated a way for her to make it up to me whenever I would get jealous. I won't go into details – but trust me, it's quite worth it."

It was a close contest to see whose face was redder. Alex, Chuck Junior – or Sarah's.

"Okay, Mom," Alex finally said. "Just what are Kate and Heather doing right now?"

"They have an assignment," Sarah said. "To pass, they are going to have to talk two male solders that they have never met into violating direct orders. Trust me - neither of them want to do it. They are both concerned that you will be hurt. How you react to them when they get back will define how safe they are in the future. I know that's unfair – but it just will."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had assigned a two man guard detail to keep watch at the main entrance. After all, Sarah would let the girls pass the exam if they could only find them. But the real assignment was to rescue the guys. And Sarah was interested in seeing how they would do.

Privates King and Farley were clearly mesmerized. Elise was right, almost from the moment that Kate walked up to them, she could have asked them to drive her to Mexico, and they would now be well on their way. So when they pulled past the entrance, they immediately saw the two guards. So Kate asked the driver to pull around the corner just out of sight.

"Sorry, ma'am," one of the guards said as Kate approached. "This is a restricted area."

"At ease men," Kate said with a grin. "I don't want to go in. I'm just lost. This base is so big. I'm looking for the PX – and my car broke down. I can't get it in gear. Do you think that one of you could look at it for me?" She sort of leaned forward as she pointed in the general direction of her car. When Kate saw both sets of eyes immediately direct to the front of her shirt, she had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Normally that would have been a huge turnoff for her. Under normal circumstances, she might have even said something. But today was not a normal day. Kate Bartowski had finally found something in the spy world that she was actually good at. And she knew by the looks on their faces that they would now do anything she would ask – up to and including barking like a dog. The power actually felt good. Kate was surprised at how good it felt. It was sort of a rush. Now, it was time to finish this. It was time to complete her assignment. It was, at long last, time to impress Mom about something other than how well she could be captured. But most importantly – it was time to do what the whole team was rooting for.

It was time to end Agent Walker.

x-x-x-x-x


	29. The Death of Sarah Walker

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Kate is feeling pretty good about herself. She finally passed one of her mom's tests. That alone has her grinning. Since she is feeling her oats, perhaps a little payback is in order. After all, both Elise and Janice have some payment for past transgressions on their tab. Even Mom has some coming. Kate also found out that playing men might not be as horrible as she once thought. Will Alex agree?_

_There is also the little matter of Daniel Shaw to deal with. That's quite a to-do list._

_Oh, one more thing on that list. She has to save her mom. She has to kill Sarah Walker._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Death of Sarah Walker**

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Sarah thought of when she heard the knock on the door was the girl's exercise – but then she looked at her watch. It was much too early for them to have completed their assignment. Even if they were successful, it would take some time for them to come up with a plan, and work up the nerve to execute it. So she just cleared her throat. "Yes," she called.

The door opened a crack and one of the guards called out. "Excuse me ma'am," he said. "Colonel Blum is here to see you."

"Send him in," Sarah said.

"Yes, ma'am," the guard nervously replied. "Actually, ma'am, he is asking if you will come out here and speak to him in private."

Sarah groaned as she walked to the door. If Blum wanted to speak to her in private – this couldn't be good news. When she got outside, there was no sign of Blum. The guard didn't look familiar. Perhaps he had been relieved. "Where is the Colonel?" she asked.

Heather stepped out from around the corner. She had a handgun pointed directly at Sarah. "Here I am," she said with a grin. "I promoted myself. Please put your hands on top of your head – slowly."

To say that Sarah was shocked was – well, a tremendous understatement. She was also very proud. But she also had no choice but to follow Heather's instruction. As soon as she had her hands on her head, Kate and another solder popped out from around the same corner.

"Agent Walker," Kate said firmly. "You are under arrest. Turn slowly face first and place your hands high on the wall."

As soon as Sarah complied, Heather kicked her legs apart and frisked her. "You're lucky," she said. "I was searched by two men. They spent a half hour checking for weapons inside of my bra. Now, slowly put your left hand behind your back."

As soon as Heather had the cuffs on Sarah, Kate stepped up to face her. "Here is what is going to happen," she said. "You're going to call your husband out here by telling him that the Colonel wants to speak with him. And please, Agent Walker – I know the tone of your voice very well. Don't insult me by trying to tip him off. I don't want to tranq him – but trust me - I will if you make me."

It was only a matter of a few seconds before Chuck was similarly secured. Finally Sarah figured out what was bothering her. "Where are my guards?" she asked.

"They are safe," Heather said. "They are secured in our car."

Kate and Heather led Chuck and Sarah back into the room where Alex and Sparky were sitting. "Good news, guys," Heather said. "You're rescued."

Sarah couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Congratulations," she said. "You passed. I'm very proud. Now release us – and we'll go celebrate."

Kate seemed to consider that – for an instant. "I don't think so," she said. "We still have some information to find out." Then she nodded to her two new friends. They stepped outside for a moment. When they returned, they had Janice and Elise with then. Their arms were secured behind their backs. With another nod, the men quickly put them in chairs and secured their legs, much like Kate had been this morning.

"You see," Kate began as she paced back and forth slowly in front of them. "There are some things about this assignment that have always bothered me. Tell me, Agent Beckman, who is your very best friend in the world?"

Janice just stared straight ahead.

"Come now, Agent Beckman," Kate said as she stepped up to her and unbuttoned the top button of her top. "Don't tell me that you're going to be stumped by the easy questions. This could turn into quite a show. Now, once again - who is your best friend?"

"Sarah Bartowski," Janice finally said. She was clearly trying to suppress a grin.

"You made an excellent choice in answering," Kate said soothingly. "Agent Walters, who is your best friend?"

Elise was also trying to suppress her grin. "Chuck Bartowski," she answered.

"Very good," Kate said. "See, was that so hard? Here is my problem. Are you going to expect me to believe that your two best friends could go rogue – and you wouldn't follow them? You must be rogue as well. So, tell me, Agent Walters – who is your Ring contact?"

Suddenly, the smirk was gone from both of their faces. "I don't have one," Elise said.

"Come now," Kate said as she stepped up to Elise and unbuttoned a couple of buttons. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"This is an exercise," Elise said. "We don't have contacts."

"Now see," Kate said as she unbuttoned the rest of Elise's shirt. "I would really like to believe you. I really would. I just don't. Agent Beckman?"

"She's telling you the truth," Janice said. "Come on, Katie. This is an exercise."

"This is really embarrassing," Kate said to Elise as soon as Heather had opened Janice's shirt. "At least Agent Beckman had the good sense to wear a bra – even though you can see right through it. You really do like to show men your boobs, don't you, Agent Walters? Alex, Sparky, please take Agents Bartowski and Walker into the other room. Alex has seen Elise's boobs one time too many already today. And Sparky, even though we haven't discussed it, I think I can safely say that this is an experience that Heather prefers you not to have. We'll join you in a second. Our associates here will finish the questioning."

"Heather, Katie," Janice said – while clearly trying to keep from laughing. "Come on. I understand that you're having fun. Okay, you got us. But we have nothing to tell them."

Then Kate turned to her two new friends. "Private King, Private Farley," she said. "You have been brilliant today. Thank you so much for your assistance. Your country thanks you for your service. These two rogue agents clearly have a contact that is much higher up the evil food chain then they are. It is imperative that we find out his name. Lives are at stake. You need to continue their interrogation."

"Katie," Elise said with a grin. "Okay. Look – I know that you're pissed at me. I'm sorry that I showed Alex my boobs this morning. You're simply making too big a deal out of this. Stuff like that just happens in this business. If it will help, I'll let you show Joe your boobs. You did great today. You've proved your point. I'm really proud of you. Let's go celebrate."

Kate just smiled – at her two privates. "Be careful, men," she said. "These two are highly trained agents. I think you can tell that they will say anything to try and get an edge. They will pretend that they like you – and they are quite persuasive. Don't fall for it. Unfortunately, they're both also very used to being naked with unknown men. So that's probably not going to be enough to get them to talk. You may even have to get – well, a little creative. As soon as they've told you the name of their contact, knock on the door. You're authorized to use any means necessary – just as we've discussed."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Alex, Sparky, Chuck, Sarah, Kate, and Heather were safely in the other room, they all busted out laughing.

"I'm so proud of you," Sarah said. "That was amazing. I'm actually embarrassed that you got the drop on me so easily. I had no clue. But how far are they going to go in there? They can't answer the question. They don't have a contact. Please don't let anything happen that they won't be able to explain to their husbands."

"Those guys aren't really going to do anything," Kate said as soon as she could control her laughing. "Don't worry. They are both scared to death. They have been instructed to just sit there and glare at them for a while."

"What do those men think is really going on here?" Alex asked.

"They think that they are assisting undercover Agents Moore and Bartowski in capturing some rogue agents," Kate said. "It was easy."

"Okay, sweetie," Sarah said. "You did great. Now - release us and we'll go celebrate."

"Not quite yet," Kate said. "For one thing, you need to learn how it feels to be helpless. It's an awful feeling, isn't it? But the big thing that we need to talk about is Agent Walker. What's it going to take to kill her?"

Sarah sighed. "Agent Walker is officially dead," she said. "The guys actually had her on life support earlier anyway. You finished her off."

"Good," Kate said with a grin.

"One thing that you might want to consider," Chuck said. "Okay, you did good – in an exercise. You're feeling your oats. You deserve a little fun. And while Agent Walker may be dead – trust me on this - you really don't want to piss Elise off. She is pretty good at getting revenge. I think that she'll be willing to take what's happened so far as good natured fun. But if she thinks that you're gloating… Well, she might become motivated to get back at you. If I stay cuffed much longer, I might just get motivated to help her. God help you then."

Of the two girls, Heather was clearly the more nervous about pushing their advantage too far. Finally she stepped up. "Yes, sir," she said quickly. "We'll release you now. Come on Katie, I think that we've proved our point."

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw was beside himself. After all, he had just driven half way across the country – in a big rig – with a body stinking up the cab to find Sarah Walker's sister-in-law. And when he finally got to her place, she wasn't there. Not only that, she clearly hadn't been there in several days. He even went to her hospital. All they would say was that the Woodcombs were on indefinite leave – and nobody knew where they were – or when they would be back.

Shaw tried all of the usual tricks to find her. First he got his people to trace their credit cards and cell phones. No luck. Their phones hadn't been turned on for days. There had been a huge cash withdrawal from their account five days ago – but nothing since. They had simply fallen off the grid.

This was getting a little ridiculous. How could Sarah Walker always be one step ahead of him? Was she really that good? It was time to turn up the heat – and find out.

x-x-x-x-x

Kate and Alex were finally back in their room. It had been a great celebration. The entire team was in great spirits. Even Janice and Elise had calmed down – a little. After all, they enjoyed a well played joke as well as anybody. Truth be told, they were both very impressed with both girls – but especially Kate. She had really grown. It also didn't hurt that they didn't like Agent Walker any more than the rest of the team. So it was hard to hold much of a grudge. But the clear highlight of the evening was that Casey had been released from the hospital and was able to join them. The very first thing that he did was to hug Elise and shake Sparky and Alex's hand to thank them for saving his life. Alex and Sparky were clearly moved. After all – John Casey shaking your hand and telling you that he was proud of you didn't happen often. It was a very big deal.

That's when Kate first noticed it. Alex was down. She could tell by his eyes. It was pretty obvious to her all evening. He was trying to look like he was fine. Nobody else even noticed. But something was clearly bothering him.

So, naturally, the first thing that Kate did when they were back in their room was to ask him about it. At first he tried to deny that anything was wrong. But Kate knew him too well.

"Come on, sweetie," Kate said. "Do you really think I can't tell when something is bothering you? Please talk to me. Is this about my exercise today?"

"Katie, I'm fine," Alex said. "Your mom told me that if I acted badly, it would make you unsafe. That's the last thing I would want. So, I'm fine… really. Let's forget about it. Don't worry - I'll get over it."

Kate's frustration was plain. "I don't want you to get over it," she said. "I want you to talk to me so that we can deal with it."

"I feel horrible," Alex said. "This is childish and petty. I promise, Katie, I don't think of you as a possession…"

"But you don't want to think of me flirting with other men," Kate finished his thought.

Alex just nodded. "I'm sorry," he said sadly. "I'm letting you down."

"No. sweetie," Kate said. "I'm the one letting you down."

"But," Alex said. "You had no choice. It was an assignment."

"That's true," Kate said sadly. "I had to do that today. But that's not how I let you down. I keep telling you that you can depend on me to take care of you – and then when I get a chance to do just that, I keep letting you down. I know that you're insecure. The very first thing that I should have done was to grab you and made sure that you were okay. But I let myself get caught up in feeling good about myself – and then the celebration. I'm so, so sorry."

"Promise me something," Alex said. "As hard as this is, Mom is absolutely right. You have a powerful weapon. Please don't let worrying about me keep you from using it. I need to know that you're going to do whatever it takes to be safe."

"Okay," Kate said. "I promise. But I also need you to promise me something. You need to believe me when I tell you what really happened. Sweetie, I was biting my lip to keep from laughing at those men. I'll admit that I was having a good time – laughing at them. They were ridiculous. And really, the only thing that I did was have one more button open on my top then I normally would have. It is how a lot of women would dress anyway. I have no clue why those men acted so foolishly."

Alex just sighed. "I do," he said. "You just don't realize what men are thinking when they see you. I know that makes me sounds bad – but I'm trying hard to not think of you as a possession."

"Why?" Kate asked. "Alex, I sure as hell think of you as a possession. You're mine. When I heard about Elise trying to seduce you today, I wanted to scratch her eyes out. The only reason I didn't is because you came through for me. I'm still pissed at Elise. If I saw a strange woman flirting with you in a bar it would be an immediate throw down. Why in the world do you feel that you have to apologize for not wanting your fiancé flirting with a strange man? You shouldn't like that. You should be pissed at me for not explaining it to you."

"I'm not pissed at you," Alex said. "I'm pissed at me."

Kate couldn't help but smile. "I know," she said. "That's a big part of what makes you so special. Yes, you're incredibly sweet. Yes, you worry about my feelings more than you do your own. I get all that. I appreciate it. But that just makes what I did worse. I should have made sure that you were okay. That's my job – and I blew it today. I'd like you to forgive me. I learned a tough lesson today, I promise that I'll work hard to make sure that I never make that mistake again."

Alex sighed. "I don't need to forgive…" Alex paused as he saw the look on Kate's face. "Fine, I forgive you, okay?"

"Thank you," Kate said with a grin as she unbuttoned her blouse. "Alex, I'm really sorry if it looks like I'm always using sex to apologize for my failures – or to reward you. I need you to understand something – I do feel guilty – but what's about to happen is far more because I love you than because I feel guilty. The good news is that most spy couples struggle with this same issue to some extent. Elise and Janice both told me the way that they make this very same thing up to their husbands. I liked Janice's the best. It starts by me telling you a little story. I think that you might find it a tad interesting."

x-x-x-x-x

The men were gathered in a cheap motel room just outside the base. It's usually where dependants stayed while they were waiting for their housing to be ready.

"We need one of these kids," the one who was clearly the leader said as he passed out pictures of Chuck Junior and Kate.

"Why?" one of the men said. "What's so special about them?"

"I don't know," the leader said. "Shaw wants them for some reason. I don't know his plan. But hopefully he has one. We are no longer covert. Half of our group is already in custody."

"We'll never get them on the base," the man said. "We wouldn't get ten yards."

No," the leader said. "That's true. We'll have to wait until they come outside for some reason. Post men outside the gates. Once we've identified one of them, follow them – and call for backup."

The orders were pretty clear. "Yes, sir," was all that the man said.

x-x-x-x-x

Elise was just about to resume Joe's victory… umm… assignment when there was a knock at the door. "Kate," she said as she opened the door. "Alex, come in. What can we do for you?"

"We came…" Kate said. "I mean, I came… to make up with you. I'm sorry that I got so upset about you flashing Alex. It was an assignment. I should have understood. I've been a bitch to you all day."

Elise just grinned. "It's okay, sweetie," she said. "Actually, I think I was a bitch to you first. Does this mean that you're not going to show Joe your boobs?"

"Yes," Kate said with her own grin. "It does. Sorry, Uncle Joe."

Joe's face showed his confusion. "Umm, that's okay," he offered weakly.

"Actually," Kate said. "We were hoping that you two could help us. I was just talking to Heather. We're all struggling with how to help each other through the… the…"

"The jealousy?" Elise finished her thought.

"Yes," Kate admitted. "It's easy to tell ourselves not to be jealous. It's a lot harder to actually do. You two have been through it. We were sort of hoping that we could talk about how you guys deal with those issues. There's a place just off the base that's a short walk. Would you two like to go get a drink?"

Elise nodded. "That sounds like fun," she said with a sideways glance to her husband. "And it sure beats our other plans."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "Great," she said with a grin. "Heather and Junior are already there. They are going to save us a table."

As they left the room, Joe pulled Elise back in for a second. "Lise," he whispered nervously. "What was that last part about? Why on earth would Kate show me her boobs?"

x-x-x-x-x


	30. Lessons Learned and Forgotten

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay guys. Thanks for your patience - at least to those of you who actually were patient. It's time to get back to Shaw. Did I mention that he is not all that nice?_

_There is one lesson that Mom didn't tell her new recruits. That loving someone was the most dangerous part of being a spy. Your enemies will always find a way to use that against you. Fortunately, she also taught them some things that might help._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Lessons Learned - and Forgotten**

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky and Heather were sitting at the table waiting for the others to arrive. All in all, it promised to be a very pleasant evening. After all, Alex and Sparky were now clearly best friends. Kate and Heather were well on their way. And while Alex and Heather didn't know Elise all that well – and Joe even less – they clearly got along.

Actually, Heather couldn't remember feeling better. First, there was their successful assignment. Okay, so Sarah made it a little less difficult than she could have. But still, she was obviously impressed. Maybe Sparky's mom wasn't so bad after all. She certainly looked more attractive as a prospective mother-in-law than she did as a drill instructor.

Then there was Colonel Casey getting released from the hospital. She couldn't claim to know him – but he had been her patient. It felt good to have helped save his life. That's why she wanted to be a doctor in the first place – to help people.

But really none of those things were the real reason for Heather's good mood. The real reason was much more – personal. Sparky was jealous. Oh, he pretended not to be – but who was he fooling? His eyes gave him away. And while Heather didn't want him hurting – that's actually the last thing she would want – she couldn't help but feel good. It meant that he cared. And Heather was desperately looking for any sign that he cared. It was one thing for Elise to tell her that Sparky was in love with her. It was even better when Kate told her that Sparky was in love with her. But she really, really needed Sparky to tell her that he was in love with her. And so far he hadn't. Sure, he had hinted at it. He maybe even danced on the edge of it. But he hadn't said it. And until he did, Heather was going to be holding her breath. In all fairness, they had only known each other for a week – quite an intense week – but still, much too soon for her to panic. After all, they had settled in to being together very comfortably. And Sparky was turning out to be everything that she could have possibly hoped for in a man – and far more. She found herself wanting to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But all that did was to make the ache in her heart from the doubt a little more real. It also made her want it – and him even more, if that was even possible. And Heather had to admit – she would love, love, love to hear those three little words from him. But what if he didn't… The thought was simply too horrible to continue.

So, if Heather was truly being honest, she would have also admitted that she wasn't all that displeased when the man she had never met before walked up and asked her to dance. Although, it was pretty bold. She was clearly sitting at a table with a date. But even that wasn't all that shocking. After all, this was a place that catered to young solders looking for fun – and a little female… umm… interaction. The testosterone level was always off the charts. But this guy really didn't look like a solder. For one thing, he wasn't wearing fatigues. That in itself wasn't all that unusual – there was always a good mixture of people in civilian dress in this place. But he also looked a little older than the average PFC looking to get laid.

Fortunately, Heather was somewhat of an expert at dealing with horny solders. So she shot Sparky a calming glance and turned her head to the man – slightly. "No, thank you," she said with a smile. There was no sense in crushing the poor guy. He took a shot – and was turned down. It was time to move on.

But clearly this guy wasn't that easily dissuaded. "Come on," he said. "One dance. What can that hurt?"

Heather turned to fully face the man, this time without the smile. "No, thank you," she said firmly. "I already have a date." There, that should end this.

But, incredibly, the man didn't leave. "What?" he said sarcastically. "Him? A date? I thought you were baby-sitting. I'll tell you what – while we're dancing, I'll buy him another Pepsi."

Heather just shook her head sadly. This guy was clearly looking for trouble. That also wasn't that unusual for this place. And from the redness in Sparky's face – he was about to find it. Then, she noticed them. The five men sitting at that table across the room staring at them. And it suddenly hit her – right between the eyes. This wasn't random. This was a setup. He was trying to goad Sparky into going outside to fight him.

Unfortunately, Sparky was far too angry to notice anything but the man – who now had sat down at the table – and was trying to grab Heather's arm. "Excuse me," he said harshly. "I believe the lady told you that she wasn't interested in dancing. Now, if you'll excuse us."

"Son," the man said. "Didn't your mama tell you that children should be seen and not heard? I'm talking to the lady. This is adult stuff."

Heather tried to make eye contact with Sparky – but he wasn't seeing her. At the moment, all he could see – was red. "I'm not really looking for trouble," Sparky said. "But if you don't take your hands off her – like right fucking now, we have a big problem."

Heather really didn't know what to do. She had never heard Sparky use anywhere close to that language before. That alone was a tip off to his mood. But she couldn't let him fight this guy. He would be fighting six of them. Something was up. She wasn't sure what exactly – this could even be an exercise – but she knew that she couldn't let Sparky go outside with him. So she did the only thing she could think of. "Okay," she said as she turned to the man. "Look, one dance. Would that be okay?" Maybe that would buy some time for her to point out the trap that Sparky was about to step into.

Heather was simply not prepared for the look of betrayal that came over Sparky's face. It completely broke her heart. Every instinct that she had was now screaming at her to explain things to him. But she didn't have the chance.

"Sorry, baby," the man said with a smirk. "It will be you and me in a few minutes - after I take care of this guy." Then he turned towards Sparky. "What do you say sonny? Would you like to take this outside?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah respected Colonel Blum. She really did. The last thing that she wanted was to appear rude to the Colonel. He had gone miles out of his way to give them anything that they asked for. And she even liked him – as far as that went. He reminded her of Casey. But frankly, Sarah was more than a tad annoyed with him at the moment. No, it really didn't have anything to do with him sneaking the repeated peeks to check out her chest. After all, most men did at some point – especially when she was dressed the way that she was – or more appropriately, how she wasn't dressed. She was completely used to that. But she had big plans for this evening - big, big plans. After all, it was time to celebrate. For one thing, she was as happy about the death of Agent Walker as anybody.

Then there was this. For the first time in almost a month, she could take a deep sigh of relief. Her kids now had an honest chance at surviving whatever this life threw at them. Not only that, they had both clearly found the one they were going to spend their future with. And they were both excellent choices. Alex was simply amazing. He was Chuck – without the intersect. There was no higher praise than that. He had already proven, time and time again, how dedicated he was to Kate. He fit in with the family as though he had been part of it his entire life. Sarah couldn't even describe how much she loved him.

And Heather – well okay, her relationship with Heather was a work in progress. But Sarah vowed to fix that. She was looking forward to doing that work. Even though she had been consumed with the defense against Shaw, it was time for a little one-on-one bonding time with Heather. Then maybe she could take Kate and Heather shopping for a while tomorrow. She really enjoyed the afternoon that she had spent with the guys. But she really looked forward to getting her girls alone. It was time to be a mother again.

But first things first - tonight it was time for Sarah Bartowski to be a wife again. After all, Chuck had been amazing last night. Sarah knew that she shouldn't be surprised. That's just how unbelievably special her guy always was. Whenever he saw her struggling, he stepped up. So tonight, it was his turn. It's funny – in the first twenty-two days of being married to Chuck she found out exactly what he liked best from her. And now, twenty-two years later – it was still the exact same thing that drove him up the wall. Of course there never was any doubt – there hadn't been since almost the day that they met. But it was still fun to remind him of what he meant to her – that Charles Irving Bartowski was her life. And truth be told, it also felt great to know that, even after twenty-two years, she could still drive him crazy. That actually made Sarah feel as good as Chuck was about too – almost.

So when Sarah heard the knock on the door, naturally she immediately assumed it was Janice. After all, Janice lived for the times that she could interrupt an intimate moment between her and Chuck. It had become somewhat of an unstated game between them. And to be honest, for the last few years, Sarah enjoyed turning the tables. They were still as competitive as ever. She was actually catching up to Janice quite rapidly in that department.

Naturally, Sarah didn't have any lingerie with her. She came to the base with only the clothes on her back the same as everyone. The closest that she could come was the see-through general issue t-shirt that was clearly two sizes too small – and her plain cotton panties. Her intention was to open the door - show Janice that, yes, her evil plan had worked – and then slam the door in her face and get back to her… umm… efforts. So imagine her surprise… "Colonel Blum," she said. "Is something wrong?"

Colonel Blum was a career solder. He had seen pretty much everything. So it was almost impossible to fluster him. But one look at the sight standing before him had his face instantly looking like a stop sign. It actually took a moment before he could find his voice. "Yes, ma'am," he could finally choke out. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you. But I have some news concerning Director Shaw."

Well, that sure got Sarah's attention. "Come in," she said quickly.

"I apologize, ma'am," Blum said as he handed Sarah a single sheet of paper. "Director Shaw's laptop was still on when we searched his room. This is the document that he had opened at the time. Does it mean anything to you?"

Sarah looked at the paper… and nodded. "Yes," she said sadly. "It does."

"It shouldn't have taken this long for this to be brought to my attention," he said. "I promise that someone will be held accountable."

"Colonel," Sarah said with a sigh. "I would never tell you how to discipline your men. But, in my opinion, they have performed at a level well beyond what anybody could reasonably expect. With the mountain of evidence to go through, it's completely understandable that the significance of this would be lost for a couple of days. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. And please convey to your men how very grateful I am for their efforts. Once this is over, you can expect a formal thank you from the agency."

As soon as Blum left, Chuck came out of the bedroom. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's Ellie's address," Sarah said with a grin. "He is clearly going after Ellie."

"But Ellie isn't there," Chuck said. "She is in Mexico."

"I know," Sarah said as her grin broadened even more. "Ellie is safe. Shaw doesn't know that."

"Wait a minute," Chuck said as her joined his wife in grinning. "That means…"

"Yup," Sarah finished this thought. "We now have a way to trap him."

Chuck's grin faded pretty quickly. "If we use Ellie as bait," he said thoughtfully. "We'll have to make sure that she is protected. That Shaw is one devious S-O-B."

Sarah's first thought was to actually take offense. But then reason took over. Chuck was fanatically protective of Ellie. He always had been. "Don't worry, sweetie," she said soothingly. "You know that I would never let anything happen to Ellie. But that's tomorrow's problem - first things first. Come and sit back down. This t-shirt is way too tight. I really need to get out of it."

Chuck broke into a laugh as he resumed his place in the overstuffed chair. "Blum saw you dressed like that?" he asked. "I'll bet that is one solder that is currently standing at attention with a smile."

x-x-x-x-x

Heather was in a near panic. She tried to plead with Sparky to sit back down – but he wasn't listening – to anything. She could plainly see that the rage had consumed him. Sure enough, the five men that had been sitting at the table all left. This was clearly a trap.

Heather picked out the first man in the bar that she recognized – and rushed up to him. This might be a little awkward. The man had actually asked her out – more than once. He was a persistent son of a gun. He was clearly one of those guys who couldn't believe that a woman – any woman wouldn't want to jump in his bed. She even had to use the fact that she was an officer to finally turn him down in a way that would get him to stop asking. "Corporal Quincy," she said. "Do you recognize me?"

Quincy looked up. He clearly had been drinking – but then again, this was a bar. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Lieutenant Moore, what can I do for you? Have you reconsidered – or are you just in a… special mood?"

Heather could immediately tell by the way that Quincy smiled what he was thinking. Yup, this was awkward. But at this point, Heather was ready to flirt with the devil himself. So she grabbed Quincy's hand. "Steve," she said. "Are you here with any friends?"

Quincy's smile turned into more of a smirk. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "But don't worry. I'm perfectly willing to ditch them. Don't be embarrassed. Everybody gets in a… special mood every once in a while. I always thought that we would get together – somehow. If it's only for tonight – well, I promise to take good care of you."

Heather didn't have the time – or the temperament to correct his mistaken assumptions. Right now, the only thing that mattered was helping Sparky. And if letting Steve Quincy think that she wanted to take him home tonight and do unspeakable things would get him to help – well, that worked. "Okay," she said. "But not yet. First, I need a big, big favor."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior had never been in a real fight with another man before. The closest he had ever come was when he hit Paul. That didn't really count – Paul didn't hit back. But he wasn't afraid. After all, he was just as big as this guy. He was in excellent shape. And, to top it off, he was a recent graduate of Mom's mini academy. So he was fairly confident that he could take this guy. Okay, so he knew Mom's lesson about fighting – end it as soon as possible. That was fine. He was willing to end it quickly. In the mood he was currently in, one punch should end it. This guy certainly deserved it.

Then there was Heather. Did she really think that he would let her dance with that guy to appease him? She must have realized what that would make her date look like. It was crushing. Maybe they didn't have what he was thinking they might have after all. She was no where to be seen. She clearly didn't even care enough to follow them outside. Honestly, that hurt far more than anything that this jerk could do to him in a fight. Maybe it was a good thing that he had held off on telling her that he loved her.

When Chuck Junior finally made it to the parking lot, he quickly found himself surrounded by five big guys. The situation now looked entirely different. Mom's words echoed in a flash in his mind. _The rules are – there are no rules_. The original man stood before him. "Well, Mr. Bartowski," he said with a confident smirk. "Not too smart, are you? That was way too easy. Let's see how you handle this.

The light bulb went on when Chuck Junior heard the man say his name. This was a trap – and he had stepped right into it. He could only look in horror as he saw the dart suddenly sticking out of his chest. Within only a few seconds, he could feel the blackness consume him.

x-x-x-x-x


	31. Heather's Choice

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay guys. I think that the title of this chapter speaks for itself. Heather has to make a hard choice._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Heather's Choice**

x-x-x-x-x

Alex, Kate, Joe, and Elise were walking towards the bar. It was actually quite a cold night for mid-December in Kentucky. It had been mild for the past few days but a front had just moved through – and it was windy and chilling. Alex was the only one of the four who was used to winter. Joe and Elise had lived in Southern California for the past twenty-some years – and Kate had never lived anyplace else. So they were walking briskly, looking forward to getting out of the blustery cold.

Even though they were still a couple of hundred yards away, they could clearly see Sparky come outside with a stranger. His body language was plain. "Joe," Elise said in alarm. "It looks like Sparky is getting into a fight. Maybe you'd better get up there and help him."

At first, Joe just laughed it off. "Trust me," he said. "I had Sparky in the ring yesterday. He can certainly handle himself.

But then they watched in horror Sparky get surrounded by the five men. Alex immediately recognized that his friend was in trouble and started running towards them. Joe paused for a moment – but when he saw Sparky crumble to the ground, he followed Alex.

Kate went to follow them – but Elise grabbed her. She had already sized up the situation. This was more than just a case of a fight in a bar. "Katie," she said. "Run as fast as you can back to the base entrance and have the guards call Colonel Blum and get some help here." To Kate's credit, she didn't argue. She just nodded – and then she turned and ran. In spite of the situation, Elise had to pause for a second to marvel at how fast Katie was. Then she ran after the guys.

x-x-x-x-x

Corporal Steve Quincy was definitely torn. On the one hand, he had no intention of asking his buddies to go outside and save some guy he didn't even know simply because he had picked a fight over a girl and got in over his head. That happened almost every night in a place like this. Especially since this guy was Heather's date. There obviously was more to this that it first appeared. She was clearly using him.

On the other hand, this Heather Moore was an absolute babe. There was just something about her that… well, she had starred very prominently in more than one of Steve's private fantasies. So much so that he had risked getting into some moderate trouble by continuing to ask her out. After all, a female office could make really make some trouble for him – if she wanted too - by claiming that he was harassing her. Then there was also the look of – well, admiration – from his buddies. He could see them sitting at their table – mouths hanging open that he was talking to such a babe.

So Steve decided – if Heather Moore was going to use him so blatantly – what was wrong with trying to get something out of the deal? "Okay, Heather," he said. "You want a favor. What's in this for me?"

Heather knew instantly what Steve had in mind. It wasn't all that hard to figure out. She quickly weighted her options. She could order him to help. After all, he had just acknowledged that he recognized her as an officer. But he could refuse. It wouldn't be a valid order – and he would know that. She could threaten him. After all, an officer could make life tense for an enlisted man, if she really wanted too. But that probably wouldn't be enough. So that left – sweet talking him. "Okay, Steve, what do you want?" she asked.

Steve was actually surprised. She seemed willing to go along. She must really be desperate. It was time to find out just how desperate she was. "If I do this," he said. "You spend tonight at my place… umm… thanking me."

Heather groaned to herself. Naturally, she didn't know any specifics about what he had in mind for her to 'thank him' – but she knew enough to know that she didn't want to do it – oh, and she almost assuredly would be naked. This was exactly Elise's scenario from this afternoon. It was time to put up – or shut up. She did know one thing. If she allowed Sparky to be captured out in that parking lot, there was a very good chance that she would never see him again. That was so unacceptable that there really was no decision to make. Maybe she wouldn't have to actually pay off – but even if she did – Heather was out of options. "Fine," she said. "If you and your buddies save him, I'll do what you want. But please hurry."

Steve couldn't believe his good fortune. "Okay," he said. "Kiss me."

"Kiss you," Heather said. "Now? Why?"

"I have to convince my buddies to help," Steve said. "They need to believe that they're helping me – umm… get something."

Heather really wasn't buying that reason – but she was too panicked to put up a fight. So she just leaned in and allowed him to kiss her. She knew that he was going to take full advantage of the situation so she wasn't at all surprised when she felt his mouth open. She allowed the kiss to only last for a moment. "Please hurry," she whispered. "Our deal only works if you save him."

Steve's smile was clearly into gloating territory. "Don't worry, babe," he said. "This is going to happen – even if I have to fight them all myself. I'll be right back."

x-x-x-x-x

The six Ring Agents were gathered around an unconscious Sparky, trying to figure out how best to get him quickly and quietly in the truck. They had just put a second dart in him to make sure that he stayed out for the trip. So they really weren't paying attention to anything else. Alex didn't really have a plan as he ran up. So he did the only thing that he could think of – he launched himself at the closest man and tackled him to the ground. The force not only knocked the wind out of the guy, two of his buddies also were knocked down from the men falling.

When Joe arrived, he could see Alex rolling on the ground with three enemies. Certainly, he wasn't going to last long against three. But then he saw one of the standing men take out a tranq gun – and point it in Alex's direction. Alex didn't have much hope of winning a fight with three guys – but he would have no hope if he was unconscious. So Joe's decision was made. He launched himself at the guy that was holding the gun, much like Alex just had done – with pretty much the same result. The man was clearly stunned for a moment with the wind knocked out of him.

So they had two of the men at least temporarily disabled. Well, make that three. One of the men was currently rolling on the ground in agony, courtesy of Elise's well placed boot to his groin. But there were still three big, strong, trained agents to deal with. And things weren't going all that well. Especially when one the agents was able to tranq Joe. Poor Alex was taking a beating. He had men holding him on both sides while the third was taking repeated punches to his stomach and occasionally his face. Elise was totally forgotten about for the moment. So she jumped on the man's back who was punching Alex and attempted to get him in a choke hold. But he was too fast – and strong for her. As they wrestled, Elise quickly knew that it was only a matter of a few seconds before she was overmatched. If that wasn't bad enough, she looked up and saw that one of the men that had been previously stunned had now recovered – and was pointing his tranq gun at her. There was not a thing she could do. This was looking pretty grim.

Fortunately, this was the point when Heather showed up with Steve and his eight buddies. Steve may have overstated how hard it would be to get his buddies to help. After all, they were bored anyway. Might as well have a little fun. Especially since they had an officer to explain things to the M.P. They leaped into the fray with an enthusiasm that surprised Heather. And it certainly surprised the agents. Suddenly, the numbers had turned decidedly around.

x-x-x-x-x

It actually took Sarah quite a while to get Chuck back in the mood. After all, he was a little spooked to learn that Shaw was going after Ellie. And while he agreed with Sarah – this was a great opportunity to trap him – that also meant using his sister as bait.

So that meant that Chuck was currently racking his brain – and the resources of the intersect – to work through the possible scenarios. After all, Shaw was a formidable foe. And he was evil beyond belief. The last thing that could happen was for him to get a hold of Ellie somehow. That would be horrible.

Naturally, Sarah knew her husband, and how he thought, very well. So she knew that she would have to give him a few minutes to process this latest information and to go over all of the contingencies in his head. He would never relax to the extent that Sarah needed him too until that was done and he was convinced that they could protect Ellie. So she just sat patiently on his lap and gently kissed his neck while he thought.

One thing was for sure – Sarah was beginning to regret her choice of seduction apparel. She never, ever intended to be wearing that skin tight t-shirt for this long – and it was really starting to get uncomfortable. So Sarah was grateful on multiple levels when Chuck finally signified he was ready to… resume. He reached down and kissed her. And – damn – what a kiss. Chuck clearly knew what he was doing. He knew full well that kissing was her weakness. It took a lot of will power for Sarah to break the kiss. After all, this was Chuck's night. She knew full well what would happen next if she allowed him to keep going. His hand would start snaking up her shirt. And that's the last thing that Sarah wanted – on two different levels. Not only would it have made her lose her resolve to make this Chuck's night – but there was also simply no room in that t-shirt for a hand. All the more reason to get it off as soon as possible.

So when Sarah heard the knock at the door, she literally groaned in frustration. "Janice," she said, more to herself than to anyone. "I'm going to kill you." But when she got to the door, again she was surprised. "Colonel Blum," she said with a sigh – and a much less friendly tone than a few minutes ago. "Come in."

If Sarah thought that Blum was blushing last time, he was ten times worse now. As a matter of fact, he looked like he was very close to having a stroke. "I'm so sorry, ma'am," Blum said as he averted his eyes. "I'm afraid that we have a serious incident."

x-x-x-x-x

Now that they had the agents outnumbered, it was fairly easy to subdue them. In fact Steve's squad clearly enjoyed working them over a bit more than was absolutely necessary. Heather let them go for a few minutes. But she needed to make sure that the guys were okay. So she ordered them to be secured. As soon as they were all bound, Heather quickly assessed the situation. Sparky and Joe were unconscious. She quickly rushed over to check their pulses – and was very relieved when both were strong and rapid. Since she pulled a dart out of Joe's chest and two from Sparky's, it was clear what had happened. Sparky's head was bleeding a little from where he had impacted the cement – but it wasn't bad. There was nothing that Heather could do about that anyway. Besides, the one in the worst shape was Alex. He had taken several punches to the head and body – and was currently on his hands and knees vomiting. There was also not much she could do for him – except try and make him as comfortable as possible. So she turned to Elise. "Get some help from the base," she said. "We need three ambulances. Are you okay?"

"Kate already went to get help," Elise said – as soon as she could catch her breath. "She should be back any minute. I'm fine. I didn't take any blows. I'm just winded."

Heather saw the concern on Elise's face – and realized that she was looking at her unconscious husband – and was worried sick about him. "Don't worry," she said softly. "He's just unconscious from the drug. His pulse is good. He's going to be fine. Sparky is too, although the bastards shot him twice. He's going to be out for a while."

Elise stepped up and wrapped her arms around Heather. "Thanks," she whispered. "I can't stand watching Joe lie there. He looks dead."

Heather immediately felt guilty. She had been so consumed with her own problems and making sure that everyone was okay that she hadn't noticed how emotional Elise was – until she felt her shaking. She always thought of Elise as the cool calm spy with ice water running through her veins. If never occurred to her that Elise would have emotions. But she quickly realized that Elise was very concerned – afraid even. And that moment actually became a turning point in their relationship. Joe and Sparky were both lying there on the ground. And frankly, Sparky was the one in worse shape. Yet, Elise was panicked over Joe. That clearly proved beyond a doubt where her heart was. Worrying or being jealous about Elise's feelings for Sparky was – well, silly. Heather realized that it always had been. "Elise," she said as she rubbed her back. "He's going to be fine. I promise. But right now I have to go help Alex."

On Heather's way over to check out Alex, she passed by Corporal Quincy. "So," he said with a gloating smirk. "I held up my end. I assume that we still have a deal. I'll expect you at my place at ten. Bring a lot of condoms."

Heather winced. She really didn't know what to do. Clearly, he was putting on a crude show for his buddy's benefit. That fact alone made him an ass. But just as clearly, his buddies now knew about the terms of securing their assistance. He clearly had been bragging about it. There was no sense in trying to deny anything. So she simply nodded.

Elise stood there and watched the scene play out between them – and quickly came to the proper conclusion. The smile took a while to actually reach her face – but even though she was still worried sick about Joe, Elise couldn't keep it away for long. It was so very clear. There was only one way for Heather to get the help that Sparky needed. And she had done it. She had made the correct choice – the one that proved how she felt about him. It wouldn't have been accurate to say that Elise didn't have doubts about Heather. She absolutely did have doubts - until now. But any question that she had ever had was long gone. There was no longer any shred of a doubt. Heather was the one. Now, the only thing left to do was to get Sparky to see it – or more appropriately, to admit it. If Heather was looking for an ally – she had just found – well, the best one she could have hoped for.

x-x-x-x-x

Even though it seemed like hours, it was actually only a matter of a few minutes before Kate was back – with a small army of, well, army. She was with the full force of Military Police – and enough ambulances to carry the inhabitants of a small town. Blum must have made quite an impression on the phone because the cavalry was – quite literally - here.

Naturally, Kate went directly to Alex. His face looked a bloody mess. Heather had to warn her not to grab him. There was the definite possibility of broken ribs. But they quickly found that they didn't have much to worry about – because when they searched the prisoners, one of them had the pictures of Sparky – and Kate. Even though Alex was obviously really hurting, when he saw the picture of Kate, he threw himself at the cuffed agent and started swinging. It actually took Elise, Kate, and an M.P. to pull him off.

Heather could see that Joe was slowly beginning to regain consciousness as they were loading him onto the stretcher. But she ordered the Para-medics to start IVs on all three men anyway. There was no sense in taking any chances. Alex was stubbornly resisting being treated. So Heather walked over to where Kate was gently holding him. "Come on, Alex," she said. "Please get on the stretcher. You're hurt."

"I'm fine," Alex insisted. "Concentrate on taking care of Joe and Sparky. I just took a few punches. I'm certainly getting used to that."

Heather just grinned. "I know," she said. "It's the damn-est family that we've hooked up with, isn't it? But you have to admit – it sure hasn't been boring. Come on, Alex. You're probably okay – but please let's make sure. I'd hate for something to show up later. And we're all going to the hospital anyway to check on Joe and Sparky. It might as well be in an ambulance. Do this as a favor to your possible future sister-in-law." Then she turned to Kate. "I could sure use some of that sisterly support right about now."

Kate grinned back – and nodded. "She's right, sweetie," she said. "About a lot of things. Let's make sure that you're okay."

x-x-x-x-x


	32. Kate's Mission

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Heather is getting tired of worrying about Sparky's feelings. Time to send in the pro._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Kate's Mission**

By the time that Chuck and Sarah got dressed and arrived at the base hospital, the situation was pretty much in hand. Chuck went to check on Alex and Sparky while Sarah went directly to Joe's room. Joe was awake – still a little groggy – but recovering quickly. Elise was in the room lying in the bed with him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him. Since Elise was the one who probably knew most of the entire story, Sarah sat and listened while Elise got out of the bed and told her what happened.

When Elise got to the part about Heather, Sarah stopped her. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure," Elise said. "I talked to one of the men. They're all talking about it. She did what it took to get him some help. If she hadn't…"

"I know," Sarah whispered. "We've been much too lax. Shaw is still out there. He is clearly still dangerous. Thank God for Heather. She really must have been paying attention in today's exercise. She saved the day."

"She's an amazing kid," Elise said. "And she's probably hurting. She's probably feeling a little guilty – questioning if she did the right thing. Sparky isn't the most open with his feelings. I guess that it runs in the family. She is probably beginning to doubt. I'm thinking that she could really use a friend right about now. Should I go talk to her?"

Sarah smiled. "Thanks," she said. "A friend would be nice - but I really think that it's time for a mother-daughter type chat. Don't you?"

Elise just smiled back – and nodded. "Yes," she said. "I really do. Actually it may be a little overdue. But I'm thinking that perhaps Sparky comes by his characteristic of not liking to talk about his feelings – honestly."

Sarah sighed. "Hey," she said. "I'm getting better. Let me prove it to you." She leaned down and kissed Joe on the cheek. Then she wrapped her arms around Elise. "Joe – Elise – I love you guys," she said. "Thank you for being part of my family. And thank you for risking your life for us – and not just today."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was already in Alex's room with Kate when Sarah walked in. The good news was there was nothing major wrong. The bad news was – he was going to be sore for a while. One side of his face was swollen – and his ribs were already turning a nasty black and blue. But nothing was broken. He had already gotten the okay to leave. They were just resting for a minute while they waited on word about Sparky.

Chuck grinned at Alex. "Alex," he said facetiously. "I told you that you were going to have to do something dramatic to marry our daughter. I'm a little confused. Do you want to marry our son as well?"

Alex seemed to consider that for a moment. "No, sir," he finally said – with his own grin. "Marrying one Bartowski is proving to be all I can handle – and then some."

Sarah stepped up and rustled his hair – gently. "You do realize that you don't have anything left to prove, don't you?" she asked. "You haven't for a while. Alex, what you did tonight was incredibly brave. We've come to expect nothing less from you. After all, you're a hero. But listen to me for a second. If you continue to throw your body at six trained agents, you're eventually going to get seriously hurt. If that happens, what am I going to do about grandkids?"

Everybody laughed – except Alex. "Sparky is my friend," he said. "He would have done the exact same thing for me." Then he smiled. "And, Mom," he said. "I think I can safely promise you your fair share of grandkids. Please wait until they start school before you start to train them to be a spy."

Sarah was having a hard time stopping laughing. But she was also blinking back tears. Could Alex possibly be any more a part of this family? There was clearly a bond between him and Chuck Junior that was well beyond any casual friendship. Tears and a huge grin at the same time – what a combination. "You're right, sweetie," she finally said. "He would have done the same for you. I can't make any promises on training the grandkids."

x-x-x-x-x

When Sarah finally walked into the room where Sparky was, the first thing that she noticed was that Heather was sitting there in the dark holding his hand – and silently crying. When she noticed Sarah, she tried as best she could to quickly hide the tears.

Sarah pretended not to notice. "He's not awake yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," Heather said. "There is no reason to be alarmed. He took two darts. His vitals are great. He is starting to stir a little. He should be awake in just a few minutes. I'll leave so you can be alone with him when he wakes up. He'll really want to see you."

"Heather," Sarah said softly. "I think that he'd much rather see you when he wakes up than me."

Heather was clearly taking a moment to gather her composure. "I'm not sure that's true," she was finally able to get out.

Sarah felt so sorry for her. She was clearly panicked - and for no good reason. If she only knew… "Heather," she said. "I'm absolutely, one hundred percent positive that it's true. Tell me the honest truth, sweetie. How do you really feel about my son?"

Heather couldn't keep the tears off any longer. "I'm not sure that I can tell you," she said. "When I say that I'm in love with him, it sounds hollow somehow. It doesn't come close to how I feel. I don't know what words would. All I do know is that I've never come close to feeling like this before. I can't imagine my life without him."

Sarah smiled at her. "Sweetie," she said. "Stop trying to imagine your life without him. It's not going to happen. You're worrying about nothing. Trust me. He's crazy about you. He's crazier about you than you are about him. You're sitting here all worried because he hasn't said it yet, am I right?"

Heather didn't answer her question – directly. "I'm not a sissy," she said. "I can't stand you thinking that. I'm not one of those girls who need to hear how much he loves me every ten minutes. I'm willing to fight for him. It's just that seeing him lying there in that parking lot made me realize that I want it so badly. And I almost lost my chance tonight. I hope that you don't take offense at this – but with this family you never know when you're going to lose your chance. And every minute that we don't seize might be a minute that we never have – because someone's taken it away. And I'm greedy. I want every minute I can get."

Sarah smiled. "Why would I take any offense at that?" she asked. "You're absolutely right. That is really true of everybody. Some people just don't realize it until it's too late. And I'll admit it's probably a little truer in this family. Life is short. You need to live each day like it might be your last. The big lug lying there is not letting you do that – is he?"

Heather shook her head. "How did you know what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"That one's easy," Sarah said as her smile broadened into a grin. "Because he's just like me. That's the bad news. I hope that you still want to be with him after hearing that. I know that you and I didn't get off on the right foot. I'd really like to fix that. After all, we share something very special. We both love that guy lying there. Just look at him sleeping. Have you ever seen anything cuter in your whole life?"

Heather paused for a long moment to gather her composure. "You're right," she finally whispered. "He's very cute. But that's not the half of it. He is simply an amazing man. It's hard to believe that he's only twenty. I can't wait to see him as a doctor. At first, I was thinking that he was too good to possibly be true. But I was wrong. He really is that special. You did an incredible job raising him. I'll not lie – you intimidate me a little. There was even a time when I downright hated you. But now I think I can see things a little better. I'd love for us to get closer."

"Good," Sarah said. "Me too. I'd love to take credit for raising him. But I have to share that with Elise, Casey, and of course, his dad. You're right. He is incredibly special. But guess what sweetie – so are you. I do have some good news. Sweetie, trust me on this – there is no reason for you to be intimidated. I don't think that you're a sissy – not even close. You're a hero. You just saved my son's life. Tell me the truth. You used today's seduction training to get him the help that saved his life – didn't you?"

Heather looked at the floor. "I kissed him," she said. Her voice was so soft that Sarah had to strain to hear her.

"And…" Sarah said expectantly.

Heather struggled for composure. "I agreed to spend the night with him," she said. "I'm supposed to go over there at ten. Do I have to go?"

Sarah smiled. "Speaking strictly professionally, that's a close call," she said. "There is no question that this guy's a jerk for demanding it. But this is someone that you know. You did agree to his terms. If you don't pay off, there are a lot of people who would never trust you again."

"If I do go," Heather said. "Will Sparky ever forgive me?"

"For one thing, you're not going," Sarah said. "Don't worry. I've already taken care of it. But the answer to your question is – yes. You did what you did to save his life. If you hadn't, he'd be captured right now and almost certainly being tortured and eventually killed. Of course he would understand that."

Heather just nodded. "Thank you for taking care of it. Do I want to know how?"

"I didn't order him killed, if that's what you're asking," Sarah said with a laugh. "I think that you'll find out within the hour what I did. You saved my son's life. I'll never – ever forget that. So what I did is the least I can do. That's not all - let me try and do something more for you. Heather, I see you hurting – and I'm here to tell you that it's for absolutely no reason. Please sit down and let me tell you a little story. There is a way for you to quickly get everything that you want. After all, he wants it too – probably more than you do. Don't you want to hear how?"

Heather actually smiled for the first time. "Very much, ma'am," she said.

"It's really pretty simple," Sarah said. "First, you need to stop calling me ma'am. My name is Sarah. But you need to get the one woman in the whole world to talk to him that he'll truly listen to."

"That's you, right?" Heather asked. "Would you? I'd really appreciate it."

"I would," Sarah said. "But it wouldn't do any good. I'm not the one who he would listen to."

"Elise?" Heather asked in confusion. "I'm not sure that she would…"

"She would," Sarah interrupted with a laugh. "Trust me, sweetie. She's rooting for you more than anybody. I just talked to her. Elise is a very good ally to have. Chuck Junior has had a massive crush on her since he was nine. She could talk to him about a lot of things. But she's not the one to have this particular talk with him. He would just get embarrassed and shut down."

Heather just looked confused – and she said so. "I'm confused," she said. "Who is this super woman?"

x-x-x-x-x

The Military Police took the Ring Agents into custody to be questioned. They also took all of the solders involved in to get their statement. They were all sitting in a conference room waiting to be dismissed when the door opened. At the first sight of the eagle pinned to his chest, the men all scrambled to stand at attention.

"Relax, men," Colonel Blum said with a smile. "Is Corporal Quincy in here?"

"That's me, sir," Quincy said crisply.

"Men," Blum said. "Can Corporal Quincy and I have this room for a moment?"

"Yes, sir," they said as one. They raced each other to be the first one out into the hall.

"Corporal," Blum said as soon as the door closed behind them. "I understand that you organized the group that rescued Mr. Bartowski. Congratulations. That was well done."

"Thank you, sir."

"There is an unfortunate rumor going around," Blum said. "That you may have coerced Lieutenant Moore into agreeing to something – well fairly ungentlemanly. Now I know that one of my men would never do anything so cowardly. Surely this must be some sort of misunderstanding. So I wanted to come and give you a chance to explain to me what that might be."

Quincy swallowed. Blum had a reputation for getting right to the point. He also had a reputation for being a very bad person to piss off. An officer could make his life a little tense for a few days. The Commanding Officer could make his life pure hell – for as long as he wanted too. "Yes, sir," he said quickly. "I believe that must have been a joke, sir. You know how these rumors are. They grow out of control. I apologize if anything was done to make anybody uncomfortable, sir."

Blum smiled. "I thought that it was probably something like that," he said. "Those damned rumors. But actually, it's Lieutenant Moore who probably has the apology coming – don't you think?"

"Yes, sir," Quincy said. "I'll be more than happy to apologize to her, sir."

"That's a good idea," Blum said. "Do that. She's at the hospital. Maybe you could stop by on your way home tonight. I plan on talking to her myself, later. Just to make sure that she takes it okay. It's funny. When you command someone like Lieutenant Moore – they become almost like your own daughter. You start becoming very protective of them. Anybody who would hurt her – well, they become your enemy. You want to hurt them back. Do you know what I mean, son?"

Quincy swallowed. Blum had just sent him a not so veiled threat. He just told him that he was personally going to make sure that he followed through on his apology – and what would happen if he didn't like what he heard. "Yes, sir," he said. "Consider it done, sir."

"Good," Blum said. "You did well tonight Corporal. Tell the men that they all just earned a seventy-two hour liberty over Christmas."

Quincy breathed a sigh of relief. He would have to eat some major crow tonight. But at least he could salvage what was going to be left of his pride by telling the guys the good news. The seventy-two hour Christmas liberty meant going home and spending Christmas with their family. It was the most sought after prize on the entire base. "Yes, sir," he said smartly. "Thank you, sir."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Junior finally woke up. He found himself in a darkened room in what was clearly a hospital bed. Even though he couldn't see her face in the dark, he could tell that Heather was sitting in the chair beside him. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

Heather didn't answer him. So he stretched his arms. "Heather, what happened?" he asked again.

She leaned over to talk to him – and when she did, her face moved out of the shadow into the light. "Guess again, dumb ass," Kate said.

Suddenly Chuck Junior was a lot more awake. "Kate," he said. "Where is Heather? Is she okay?"

"We'll talk about Heather in a minute," Kate said – perhaps not harshly – but with a definite edge. "Don't worry. She's fine, physically, at least. You want to know what happened? Your moronic jealousy led you right into a Ring trap. If it hadn't been for the heroism of Alex, Elise, and Joe – but especially Heather – you would be in their hands right now."

Chuck Junior sagged into the bed. "I know," he said. "Let me talk to Heather. I want to see her."

"Tough," Kate said firmly. "The way I figure it you probably would be in the process of being tortured right now. Since we saved you from that, I think that it's only fair that you endure a little of my brand of torture for a few minutes. Don't you agree?"

He lifted the sheet a little. "Since I appear to be naked," he said. "I don't seem to have much choice. "You just said that Heather is fine physically. That infers that she's not fine emotionally. What's wrong with her?"

Kate just shook her head. "You're what's wrong with her," she said sadly. "Are you really the only person on the planet dumb enough to not see how crazy she is about you? You're hurting her, Sparky. And she is far too special to be hurt. If you can't see that, you're too dumb for me to help. You need to tell her how you feel – so that she can move on. Just, please, let her down easy. Right now, you're just being cruel. I love her – even if you don't."

Chuck Junior paused for a long moment. "Why would you think that I'm going to let her down?" he finally asked. "I've never met anyone like Heather. I love her. I'm crazy about her."

"Okay," Kate all but shouted. "But consider this. Maybe you should tell… her. I sure as hell don't see what good it does to tell me." Then Kate took a deep breath – and calmed her voice. "Come on, Sparky," she said. "You're supposed to be a genius. Do you really need for me to tell you this? You claim to love her. You know that she's hurting. And you can fix that by saying three little words to her. Could it possibly be that easy – or am I missing something?"

Chuck Junior smiled – a little. "Well," he said. "You're clearly missing any sense of tact or sensitivity or humor or warmness or …" Then his smile turned into a grin. "But your point might be a little valid. Should I tell her tonight? Or should I pick a time to be more romantic?"

Kate let out an exasperated sigh. "What are you - eight?" she asked sarcastically. "You should do both. Wow, is this really the first time that you've told a woman that you love her? A trained monkey could do a better job. All of those bimbos…"

"Actually, yes," Sparky said. "It is the first time. Please send her in. I'd like to talk to her."

Kate had been trying to hold in the laugh, she just couldn't any longer. "For what it's worth," she said. "I'm glad that you weren't captured – a little. It would have depressed Mom. Who needs that?"

Sparky laughed back. "Don't go getting all mushy on me," he said.

"No chance," Kate said. "I'll go get Heather."

x-x-x-x-x


	33. Hungry For Ribs

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay guys. I think that the title of this chapter speaks for itself. Wait, don't they all? Maybe I should have eaten dinner before I wrote this._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Hungry For Ribs**

x-x-x-x-x

Heather was a little hesitant about having Kate talk to Sparky in the first place. She really didn't want to force him into making a commitment that he wasn't ready for. But Kate assured her that wouldn't happen – so she finally relented. Heather and Sarah were waiting out in the hallway for Kate and Sparky to finish talking. They hadn't been there long when they saw a man approach them. Heather groaned when she recognized Steve Quincy. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said. "Do you think that I could have a word with you – in private?"

Sarah's eyes asked the question. Heather's almost imperceptible nod supplied the answer. "Excuse me, Corporal…" Sarah said as she leaned in to look at his name tag. "Corporal Quincy. We're actually in the middle of something. Could this wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid that it's fairly urgent, ma'am," Quincy said.

"Fine," Sarah said. "I'm staying. Whatever you have to say, I'm sure she won't mind. Right, Heather?"

Heather had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from grinning. She knew that she couldn't speak without laughing – so she just nodded.

The last thing that Quincy wanted was to do this in front of somebody. "But ma'am..." he said.

"I'm staying," Sarah interrupted firmly. "Lieutenant Moore has had a very bad day. First, some very bad men tried to kill the love of her life. Then some jerk tried to make her… Look, I'm sorry, Corporal. Perhaps you should come back tomorrow if you want to speak with her alone."

Quincy knew that he couldn't do that. He was trapped. After all, Colonel Blum would be checking tonight. If he didn't make this right… "Fine, I'll just say this," he muttered. "Ma'am," he said as he turned towards Heather. "It has come to my attention that some people might have been taking what was a joke between us seriously. I want to apologize if you've heard any rumors to that effect and they have caused you any discomfort."

Heather was, quite frankly, too relieved to be all that angry. She wanted to just forget the whole thing ever happened. "Fine," she said.

Sarah, on the other hand, was not in quite as generous of a mood. "This is the man?" she asked. "Joke? Are you really asking us to believe that was a joke?"

Quincy was starting to sweat. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Lieutenant Moore and I are acquaintances. I assumed that she would know I was joking."

"And the kiss in the bar," Sarah asked sarcastically. "Was that part of the joke as well?"

Quincy was now reduced to a near whisper. She clearly wasn't buying this. "Yes, ma'am. It seemed funny at the time – but it was inappropriate. Again, I'm really sorry." He then turned to Heather. "It will never happen again. Couldn't we put this behind us, ma'am?" he asked. "After all, I did save your friend."

Sarah eyed Quincy like he was a tree – that she was about to chop down. "I don't know," she said skeptically. "You might sound sorry. But talk is cheap."

"What would it take, ma'am?" Quincy asked. "I feel horrible about any bad feelings. I'll do anything to make this right." At this point it was pretty much true. He would do almost anything to make this horrible situation go away – up to and including giving up a kidney.

Sarah looked at him critically for a long moment. "I'll tell you what," she finally said. "We're hungry. We didn't have dinner tonight. And hospital food – well we don't care for it that much."

Quincy's face brightened as he saw some hope. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "I'll be happy to go get you something to eat ma'am. What would you like? Maybe a pizza?"

"Ribs," Sarah said. "We were just saying that we were hungry for ribs."

Quincy winced. Not only was the closest rib place a few miles away – ribs were expensive. "Yes, ma'am" he said. "That will take me a while."

"That's okay," Sarah said. "We'll wait. There are eight of us. No, wait. I forgot about Janice and Casey. We're all pretty hungry. That's ten full slabs of ribs and sides. And Corporal Quincy?"

"Yes, ma'am," Quincy said.

Sarah turned to fully square off to Quincy. Her smoldering eyes left no room for doubt as to how angry she was. "I think this should be abundantly obvious – but I'm going to say it anyway. You are never to make eye contact with Lieutenant Moore again," she said. "For as long as you live. I hope that you appreciate the fact that you're getting off incredibly easy. You've violated some very serious provisions of the Military Code of Conduct. Attempting to coerce a female officer into sex is a grave offense. You should be spending some serious time in the stockade. The only reason that you're not is because you did actually help tonight. Now, instead of being a total slime ball, why don't you show us that you have the potential to be a real man – and let the last words that you ever say to Lieutenant Moore actually be the truth?"

Quincy was broken. "Yes, ma'am," he said. Then he turned towards Heather. "I'm really sorry," he said in almost a whisper. "I'm embarrassed. It was a lousy thing to do. I have no excuse. For what it's worth, I'm glad that your friend is going to be okay. I promise that I'll never try to contact you again."

Heather was to the point of almost feeling sorry for the guy - almost. "Fine," she said. "See that you don't."

"One last thing," Sarah said. "Please don't insult me by making me eat cold ribs. I'm in a pretty good mood right now. Having to eat cold food is one of my least favorite things. It always puts me in a very, very bad mood. I'd hate for you to have to witness that. Do I make myself clear?"

Quincy swallowed. If she was in a pretty good mood now… "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Crystal clear."

"Good," Sarah said. "Shove off."

Heather was able to keep the laugh in until he was out of sight – barely. But then it came out – pretty wetly. "I thought that Agent Walker was dead," she said. "Man, that was – harsh. I was almost starting to feel sorry for the guy. You nearly had him crying."

"Agent Walker is dead," Sarah said with her own laugh. "What? You think that Sarah Bartowski can't put a macho pig in his place? Look, sweetie, I'm very fanatically protective of my family. That now includes you. All things considered, I thought I was pretty easy on him. He's not bleeding. Besides, I really am hungry for ribs."

x-x-x-x-x

"How are you feeling?" Heather asked. Kate had just come out into the hallway and told her that Sparky wanted to see her. She could tell by the sparkle in Kate's eyes that she was very pleased with herself. That seemed hopeful.

"Not that good," Sparky said. "Actually, I'm feeling kind of horrible."

Heather leaned over the bed in concern and felt his forehead. "Sometimes the drug can give you an upset stomach," she said. "Would you like a glass of water?"

Sparky just winced. "No," he said. "I'm fine physically. I just feel horrible –because of what I've done to you."

That made Heather wince. So she just got on the bed and put her head on the pillow next to him. "I don't want you to feel bad," she said. "Look, I don't know what Katie said to you. But I do know that she was probably in here yelling at you. And I'll admit that was sort of because I asked her too. I'm feeling a little guilty about that. But listen to me. I don't want you to say anything that you're not ready to say. I just… Look, I'll wait. I'll wait as long as I have too."

"Kate was yelling at me," Sparky said. "After all, it's her favorite thing in the whole world to do. If yelling at me ever becomes an Olympic sport, she's a sure gold medal winner. I'm so used to that. Usually it wouldn't bother me at all. But tonight for once, she was right. I really hate when that happens. So, I want you to know how sorry I am. I'm sorry that I got jealous about your final exam. I'm sorry that I got jealous in the bar. But Heather – if you have any doubt how I feel about you, then I'm really, really sorry. I deserve to get yelled at."

Heather turned her head to face his. She could feel the tears filling her eyes. But this time, it was different. All she could do was nod without breaking down.

"I really do love you," Sparky said. "I've never met anyone like you. I guess I've always just assumed that you knew that. That was unfair of me. But it's far more than that. I'm crazy about you. I've never felt like this before. It shouldn't have taken me this long to say it. I'm really sorry that I let you hurt."

"I love you too," Heather said. "I know that we haven't known each other for very long. But there is one promise that I'm entirely confident that I can make - I always will. I'm sorry for being such a baby. I've never met anybody like you, Sparky. I almost lost you tonight. I just want for it – for us - to happen so much. I guess I panicked a little. Thank you for telling me. I know that wasn't easy for you."

The kiss – or more accurately, series of kisses, lasted for a long moment. Finally, Sparky broke the kiss. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked with a grin.

"Actually," Heather said with a grin. "We don't have a home. We have to go find the rest of the family. But first it's time for you to step up again."

"Step up?" Sparky asked in confusion.

"Don't get me wrong," Heather said as she began to unbutton her shirt. "It was very nice that you told me - very, very nice. But talk is cheap. It's time for some serious couple-type action."

Sparky's face turned red. "Here?" he asked. "We're in a hospital room. What happens if someone comes in?"

"They'll get a show," Heather said. "Let's make sure that they get a good one, okay?"

It took a few minutes for Heather to catch her breath. But she finally leaned over and kissed him. "That was incredible," she said. "But we really have to go find the rest of the family. I think that we're eating ribs – courtesy of your mom."

"Ribs?" Sparky asked. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm starved. But why ribs?"

Heather just pressed her lips to his for a long moment – and sighed. "It's a long story," she said.

x-x-x-x-x

Everybody else was already in the small room in the hospital café that Sarah had commandeered. They were also already elbow deep in barbeque sauce - especially Casey and Janice. After all, ribs had sort of a special place in their heart. Not only was it their favorite food – their first date as at a rib place. Casey had been eating hospital food for the past few days and he was starving. Of course, that wasn't that much of a stretch. Casey was pretty much always starving.

All of his macho pig tendencies aside - Sarah had to admit one thing. Steve Quincy had really come through with the food. He had to get a couple of his buddies to help carry it all. After all, there was no way he was going to let the food get cold. He actually never knew how close he came to suffering some great bodily harm that night. With a whisper from Sarah, Alex was barely able to intercept Kate just before she got to him. That would not have been pretty.

The team was actually in great spirits – and not only because of the great feast they were enjoying. They had foiled another attack. Even more important, they had done it as a team. There was also the fact that everyone was okay. Best of all, Sparky and Heather were clearly in the process of becoming a life-long couple. The group was eagerly awaiting their arrival with mixed feelings. They really wanted to share in their happiness – but they knew that every minute they waited meant that they were – well, probably getting even more happy.

So when Sparky and Heather finally entered the room holding hands, naturally they were treated to a round of semi-sarcastic applause. Since everyone basically knew anyway, there was no sense in trying to deny anything. Sparky's face got a little red – but Heather was simply aglow.

Casey was actually the only member of the team that looked comfortable wearing fatigues. He looked very much like the Colonel – well, that he was. He found himself suddenly presented with two of his very favorite things – eating ribs – and needling somebody. "Where have you two been?" he bellowed.

Sarah was just about to step in. After all, Heather didn't know Casey very well. She wouldn't know about his proclivity for making people blush. But she need not have worried. Heather was more than capable of defending herself against Casey's barbs.

"We've been working up an appetite, sir," she said snappily in her best military voice. "Thank you for asking, sir. Would you like any details?"

Casey tried to hide the fact that he was blushing. "That won't be necessary," he said.

"Yes, sir," Heather said as she sat down at the table. "Let me know if you change your mind. I must say, sir. It looks like you've worked up quite an appetite of your own. Perhaps we should compare notes."

That got the whole room laughing.

"No," Janice said sarcastically. "He just likes ribs."

Over the roar of laughter that flooded the room, Alex leaned over and spoke so that only Heather could hear him. "You were right," he said. "It is the damn-est family. But tell me anyplace that you'd rather be right now."

Heather's grin threatened to break her face. So she just leaned over and touched her head to his shoulder – and stated the obvious. "There isn't anyplace in the world that I'd rather be – or any group of people I'd rather be with."

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky and Heather were back in his room. It had been quite a day – and that was a ridiculous understatement. Of course, they still had problems. But they seemed ridiculously insignificant. Right now, Heather was floating on a cloud. All she could think about was how good it felt to sit there on his lap - how good he smelled – and how incredible it felt to be able to tell him how she felt. But even more incredible was how it felt when he said it back.

"So," Sparky said. "It's probably about time that we talked about our future. I mean, we're going to catch Shaw eventually. Things will get back to normal. What happens then? What is normal for us?"

Heather smiled. "As long as we're together, nothing else really matters. It feels good to actually have a future."

"But how are we going to work it out?" Sparky asked. "I mean, you have almost a year left in your current commitment to the army. I have to get back to school soon. How can we be together? We'll be half a continent away from each other. Heather, we're talking about some life-long type plans, right? Are we engaged?"

"I don't know," Heather said with a grin. "Technically anyway - no. For one thing, you haven't proposed. If you think I'm letting you off the hook on that one, mister, you're seriously mistaken. And we're going to have to wait a few weeks. It would be tacky to tell people that we're engaged in the same week as Katie and Alex. But if you're asking me to spend the rest of my life with you – then, yes, we're engaged."

"Yes," Sparky said. "Let's be clear. I am asking you that. I feel the same way. But then we really need to figure some things out."

"You're right," Heather sighed. "I know that we have to make some plans. But can that start in the morning? Right now I'm too happy to think about anything serious. We're together now. We have some time. Please – just let me enjoy tonight. If it helps, I can tell you – there are some things that I want to do with my life. I want to go to medical school. I want to be a doctor. But that pales next to how much I want – us. You're the most important thing in my life. I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes for us to be together. Will that get you through the night?"

Sparky smiled. "Yes," he said. "It does help. I'll make that same promise."

Heather noticed the look that Sparky was giving her. "Hey," she said. "I know what I look like. I'm not gloating. I'm just really, really happy."

Sparky's puzzled look turned into a grin. "Don't apologize," he said. "I love seeing you like this. But promise me – tomorrow – we'll find some time to talk. Those things that we want – they aren't going to just happen. We have to make them happen."

Heather leaned over and kissed him… and then she kissed him again. Quickly they were passionately necking. "I promise that we'll talk tomorrow," she whispered between kisses. "Assuming that you still can."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Chuck back onto the sofa. "I haven't forgotten about your night of passionate pleasure," she said with a soft smile. "But please don't make me climb back into that slutty tight t-shirt again."

Chuck didn't answer her – directly. He just kissed her. "You've had quite a night," he said. "You mated off another one of our kids."

Sarah smiled. "She really is a great kid," she said. "Besides, we still have one left."

"Poor Bryce," Chuck said with a laugh. "Now I suppose that you're going to be running girls at him."

But Sarah didn't laugh. "I really miss him," she said. "It's been two weeks. He's my baby."

"I hate to break this to you," Chuck said. "But he's not a baby anymore."

"I know," Sarah said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Chuck said. "You should feel great. We have three amazing kids. And we just added two more on this trip. Not only that – what you taught them just saved your son's life tonight. You should be dancing."

Sarah just looked at her husband. How could he possibly always know exactly what she needed to hear? "Our life is pretty great," she said as she touched her lips to his. "You're right. We're really lucky. Shaw tried to take that life away. It's time to make him regret that – and get it back."

"Okay," Chuck said with a grin. "But enough about Shaw tonight. When I said you should be dancing – that wasn't figurative. What about my night of passionate pleasure?"

Sarah couldn't keep in the wet laugh. There it was – the other thing about her amazing guy. No matter what the situation, no matter what mood she was in or how awful things appeared – he could always make her laugh. "Okay," she said. "When you're right, you're right."

Sarah knew that there must be an interruption coming. She could just feel it. So she took her time actually getting naked. And sure enough, there was a knock at the door. "Colonel Blum," she said as she opened the door. "This is becoming a little north of ridiculous."

"I'm sorry ma'am." Blum said as he averted his eyes. "You know that I am. I would have never come back over here tonight. But I just got outranked. All hell is breaking loose. The story of Director Shaw and The Ring just broke in the press. They're going absolutely nuts. We've been placed on full alert. The president wants to speak to us via video conference in ten."

Chuck took the news a lot worse than Sarah. "Damn that Shaw," he muttered, more to himself than anybody. "I really hate that guy. His timing really sucks."

x-x-x-x-x


	34. All Hell Breaks Loose

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay guys. I think that I've tried to write this chapter four times now. The darn mushy stuff keeps getting in the way. Let's see if Heather regrets putting off Sparky when he wanted to talk last night._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**All Hell Breaks Loose**

x-x-x-x-x

It was a pretty tense scene. The team was waiting in a briefing room for the conference with the President to be over. He would only talk to the folks with an active security clearance - Senator Casey – and Chuck and Sarah.

Naturally, Alex and Kate were concerned about the political ramifications. They knew that they needed to get out in front of this story. If they didn't define Senator Casey's actions, her political enemies would. Kate was particularly antsy. Here she was stuck on an army base wearing fatigues while possibly the biggest political story of the past fifty years was breaking. She was trying to figure out a way to at least make herself available for a phone interview.

Alex knew that he had to settle her down. "Come on, Katie," he said as gently as he could. "Even if you could talk to a reporter – what would you tell them? Let's wait until Janice gets done ripping the President a new one. Then, we'll know how to play this."

But clearly, the most nervous one in the room was Heather. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was washing over her. She knew that she shouldn't have put off Sparky when he wanted to talk. Now, she wasn't sure if they would get the chance. Oh, she wasn't worried about anything changing. She knew that they loved each other. It's just that they had just gotten together tonight… And with the night that Heather had planned – well, it didn't seem fair.

Poor Elise didn't know which one to comfort most. So she sort of split her time between Kate and Heather.

But finally, they were back. The door hadn't closed all the way yet before Kate was all over her mom.

"Katie," Sarah said as soothingly as she could. "Relax. This is going to be okay."

"The President is very concerned about Shaw still being loose," Janice said. "His staff is in pure political damage control mode. They know that Shaw is his appointee and he will be held accountable politically for anything bad that he does. His only hope is that they can quickly capture, or even better, kill him – and wait for it to blow over. He is asking that John and I return to Washington tonight. He's promised us Secret Service protection. He wants to make sure that he can keep the nation from panicking. After all, the reports in the press are getting pretty wild. They are talking about a secret organization that was getting ready to execute a coup d'etat against the United States."

"Are we sure that's not what is happening?" Casey asked.

"It is what was happening," Chuck said. "After a fashion. It's just that they weren't ready yet. It probably would have taken a few more years to get in place. After all, a coup would have to be executed from the inside. They were slowly getting their people into positions of power. But to really execute a coup, they would need control of the military. That's where the real power is."

"That's why they were so panicked that Aunt Janice might become President," Kate whispered. "Her poll numbers with the military are off the charts."

"That's right," Sarah said. "They know that the military rank and file would never move against Janice as President – no matter what. There would be no conflict following orders from some General if the Commander in Chief was telling them something else. They would laugh at the General. Then they would gladly arrest him. They love Janice. Both her parents were members of the Joint Chiefs. And then they foolishly made Janice herself a famous war hero in the Senate campaign. They were panicked. Janice would be the worst possible choice to be President for them. They needed to stop her."

"So they were stuck," Chuck said. "They aren't ready to move now – but if Janice becomes President, it's likely to be for eight years. They knew that they couldn't stay secret for that long. As President, Janice would ask tough questions. They also know that she wouldn't tolerate not getting the right answers. They were counting on being able to work under the shadows for a while longer. That's why the current administration was perfect for them. They simply aren't interested in national defense."

"Once their identity was exposed," Janice said. "They didn't last very long. All of the leadership has already been picked up. All but one."

"What did you tell The President?" Alex asked. "How should we play this?"

"I told him the truth," Janice said. "That I would work with him to calm the nation. But that I'm not going to back away from the fact that we differ dramatically on most issues."

"It was actually more than that," Sarah said with a grin. "She called him a pussy."

"I did not," Janice said – with her own smile. "I would never disrespect the office like that. I just told him that the nation can't afford a President who acts like a pussy. I can't be held accountable for whatever inference he draws, can I? Katie, Alex, I don't think we should be afraid to say where we think that he's dropped the ball – and what we would do differently. But that the people can have confidence that the constitution will be upheld. And right now, he's the properly elected President. There is no evidence that he's done anything wrong or illegal – just that we have major differences with his policies. Differences that we plan on fully articulating over the course of the next two years."

Alex smiled. "That's a de-facto announcement that you're running for president," he said. "Can we be that open?"

"Absolutely," Janice said. "If I even had any questions about running, these events have ended them. We need to clean up this mess. Besides, it's the worse kept secret in the free world anyway. Katie, you can tell the press that they can expect a formal announcement as soon as this crisis is over. I'll need that draft of my announcement speech that you and Alex have been working on – ASAP."

Kate's eyes sparkled at the news. "Yes, ma'am," she said. "How soon can I get in front of a camera?"

Sarah smiled at her daughter. "That sort of leads us to our current situation," she said. "Shaw is still on the loose. Current intelligence estimates are that he has about thirty men who are still loyal to him. The President has agreed to give us seventy-two hours to find and capture or kill him. They are planting a cover story to help us draw him out."

"What happens after seventy-two hours?" Sparky asked.

Sarah sighed. "We'll be forced to go underground," she said. "The President will order us into a secure facility until Shaw is captured. And who knows how long that would take? Shaw is very experienced. He could evade capture for months – maybe longer. So The President is hoping that we can do his dirty work for him. Fortunately, he wants Shaw captured as much as we do."

"How can we do that?" Elise asked. "We don't know where he is."

"We don't know exactly," Chuck said with a grin. "But we do have a good idea generally. He left Ellie's address on his laptop. He is clearly going after her."

"Aunt Ellie," Sparky said. "That means…"

"Yup," Sarah said with a grin. "It's time for us to get some payback. We are going on the offensive, setting a trap, and we're going to kill that bastard. Big surprise, your dad already has the plan worked out. Casey and Janice are going back to Washington. The rest of the team… well, it's time to go home. We'll wait and brief you on the plan details as soon as we're in the air. But we're going to act normal. So, Katie, I think you're going to get your wish very, very soon – maybe yet tonight. It will just be from Senator Casey's L.A. office."

Heather couldn't keep the tears out of her eyes. "When are you leaving?" she asked in shock.

"Right now," Sarah said. "As soon as we can get to the airport. Colonel Blum is arranging for flights as we speak. Joe and Elise will stop by on their way and pick up Robbie. They will meet us at home base. Bryce will also meet us there."

Heather turned to Sparky. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought we would have more time. We should have talked when you wanted too. Call me as soon as you get there. We'll talk on the phone. Don't worry – it will work out."

But Sarah popped Heather's mistaken assumption like a balloon. "Heather," she said. "We only have the clothes we were wearing. You're the only one who has to actually pack anything. Kate and I will go help you. There is some need for urgency here – so let's hurry. The uniform of the day will be skirts and blouses – so you can leave your fatigues behind. I'm sorry. The shopping trip that I promised you and Kate will have to wait for a few days."

Heather felt like a hundred pound weight was just lifted off her chest. "I'm coming with you?" she asked.

"Of course," Sarah said with a grin. "You're part of the team, aren't you? You were officially assigned to my team until future notice. Those orders are still in effect. It would be a shame to waste all of that training."

Sarah watched as Heather processed the news – and the smile crept over her face. "I assume that you don't have an objection," Sarah asked – with her own grin.

"No, ma'am," Heather said. "Umm, I mean, Sarah."

Sarah could see that she was emotional – so she stepped up and hugged her. "If what I think happened tonight actually happened," she said so that only Heather could hear her. "How about a promotion? Like maybe to - Mom?"

Heather wrapped her arms around Sarah – and squeezed as tightly as she could. "Okay, Mom," she said. "Congratulations on your new promotion."

x-x-x-x-x

Poor Bryce Bartowski. He was really getting used to this being-surrounded-by-girls-in-bikinis thing he had going. Naturally, at first he was too concerned about his family to truly enjoy it. But all that went away when he talked to Mom and found out that everyone was okay. Now all bets were off. And the best thing about it was that he got to tell himself that he was doing his Aunt Ellie a favor.

At first, Bryce couldn't figure out how to get his buddies back home to believe his good fortune. After all, he hadn't brought a camera. But he quickly discovered that wasn't a problem. After all, the girls all had cameras. And they were clearly in an unstated competition, one that had absolutely no rules, to see who could email Bryce the most provocative picture of him with his arm around her.

The only – well, problem, was his Aunt Ellie. Usually Aunt Ellie was really cool. But Mom must have talked to her. And now she obviously felt responsible for young Bryce. And that included a ten o'clock curfew. Not that it was a huge problem – most of the sixteen year old girls had their own curfews.

It was only about nine-thirty when Bryce saw his Aunt Ellie walk down to the pool. That in itself was unusual. She usually stayed in the room cuddled with Devon. So he walked over to her. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Well," Ellie began. "I don't think so – but maybe you will. Your mom just called. We're going home."

Bryce was torn. He wanted to see his family again – but he also didn't want to leave paradise. And the prospect of breaking the bad news to his new harem – well, that wasn't going to be fun either. "When?" he asked.

Ellie smiled. "The first thing in the morning," she said. "We're catching the early flight. I'm sorry, sweetie. You'll have to say goodbye to your new friends. I'll give you an extra hour tonight. Maybe that's something that we won't tell your mom about, okay?"

"That would be great," Bryce said. "Aunt Ellie - thanks for being so cool this week. This could have been tense. I know that you and Uncle Devon are overdue for a vacation. I'm sorry that you got stuck with me. I know that you'd rather be alone."

"Come on, sweetie," Ellie said. "You have absolutely no reason to feel sorry – for anything. We didn't get stuck with you. We hardly ever get to see you anymore. I've missed you. I feel awful that I'm so busy – I've missed watching you grow into a man. It's actually been fun getting to know you again. You were great at giving Devon and me plenty of alone time. Not to mention the little fact that your being a hero saved our lives."

Bryce smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I had fun too."

Ellie put her hands on her hips. "You're wasting your last ninety minutes of being the only rooster in the henhouse," she said with a mock serious tone. "I'd suggest that you stop talking to me – and get over there and break some hearts."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah gathered her team together in the plane going back to L.A. Naturally, Casey and Janice were on a flight to Washington. Elise and Joe were also on another flight to pick up Robbie. Elise was as excited as anyone could ever remember seeing her. After all, it had been two weeks since she had seen her son.

"Come on guys," Sarah said, with more edge in her voice than she really meant. "This is important." She stopped talking and waited until Alex realized that she was trying to talk – and stopped talking himself – in mid-sentence. "Okay," she said as soon as she knew that she had everyone's attention. She also flashed a quick smile at Alex to let him know that she wasn't annoyed with him. "Here is our plan. We are pretty sure that Shaw is somewhere close to Ellie's place. So our objective is to make sure that he believes that we think we're safe. So we're going to act as if the threat is over. The President's people have leaked a story to the press that they believe that Shaw is still in Kentucky. They put Blum's base on full alert to look for him."

"But, Mom," Sparky said. "Isn't that dangerous? I mean, Shaw might attack."

"That's what we want," Sarah said. "It may look like we're going back to normal. But we won't be. Until this is over, every time one of us leaves home base, they are going to be secretly tailed by the rest of the team. We're going to set up a controlled set of situations where we're always in control. When he attacks, we'll have him. Tonight we'll start with Kate and Alex. They will go to Janice's headquarters and brief the press."

"Tonight?" Kate asked. "Won't it be too late?"

"We're gaining two hours flying West," Sarah said. "It won't be midnight yet. Trust me – the press is going nuts with this story. They will want to talk to you no matter what time it is. Chuck Junior and I will take up a position ready to intercept any attack and Chuck and Heather will take up a position on our flank. We'll wear earpieces and be in constant contact."

"Mom," Chuck Junior whined. "Why are you separating us? Heather and I just got together a few hours ago. We'd really like to be together."

"I'm sorry sweetie," Sarah said. "I'm really not anticipating any trouble tonight. But I'm also not willing to take any chances. You and Heather will have plenty of alone time. I promise. This is just too important. With Shaw out there, I can't have anyone's attention diverted by trying to neck or cop a quick feel."

Sparky's face turned red – but then he grinned. "Come on, Mom," he said with a smirk. "I understand how serious this is. I can keep my hands to myself. After all, I wouldn't want anything to happen – to Alex."

Kate took her now empty plastic soda glass and threw it at Sparky. "Thanks a lot," she said. "I take back being happy that you weren't captured tonight."

"Go ahead," Sparky said. "Take it back. You really didn't mean it anyway."

Sarah just shook her head as she watched the all too familiar scene of her two kids pretending to fight. But she knew exactly how to shut them up. So she turned to her son. "I know, sweetie," she said with her own grin. "Actually, I was talking about your dad."

Okay, so they really didn't shut up. Well, if groans count anyway. But they did stop fighting. At that point Sarah was willing to take her victories wherever she could find them.

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw was sitting in the L.A. safe house watching news reports. He wasn't surprised by much. He always knew that it was only a matter of time before the story broke. Frankly, he was impressed that they were able to keep a lid on it for as long as they did. After all, too many people knew that there had been a major operation at Red Mountain. And a United States Senator going missing – well that would surely draw some attention.

Shaw also knew that their plans were finished. Everybody knew that they needed at least another year or two to be strong enough to take over. This whole plot was really stupid. There had to be another way to keep Janice Casey from becoming President. But it was far too late now. Once the leadership was forced to go public, they didn't last very long. Shaw had seen news alert after news alert of them being captured – some of them alive. He also knew that he, himself wasn't going to last very long. But that's okay. That was only one thing that Shaw still wanted to accomplish – revenge. And now, here he was, right at her doorstep.

Sarah Walker thought that she had won. The morons were still looking for him in the mountains of Kentucky. Now she would let her guard down. And that would be a fatal mistake – and he would be standing there waiting. She would be on her knees begging for mercy - soon…

But she wouldn't get any.

x-x-x-x-x


	35. Politics As Usual

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah is setting a trap for Shaw. But using themselves as bait has its own risks. It might work. But it might backfire. Heather has had one heck of a day. Let's see if it will end well for her._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Politics As Usual**

x-x-x-x-x

Of all the ways that Kate Bartowski imagined returning home for the first time, this wasn't in the list. Not that it mattered. From the very first second that she walked into her old room - it was like she had never left. She was so excited to show Alex around that she almost forgot about tonight's mission – for a second anyway. Fortunately, her mom was right there to remind her. Not that she needed much reminder. After all, Kate was about to do what she loved best – work the press. And after a week's forced absence, she was chomping at the bit. Besides, Alex didn't need any showing around. Sparky had already taken care of that some days ago.

"It's a good thing that you left some clothes here," Sarah said as she poked her head into the room. "But for tonight, it's probably best if you wear the outfit that you bought for your final exam. Alex, I think that Bryce has a suit that will fit you. Chuck Junior is much too tall."

Kate had to marvel at Mom. _How could she possibly do it?_ She had fished in Bryce's closet and gotten a suit for Alex. Then she went downstairs to break out the weapons and communications gear. Kate actually got dressed as quickly as she could – and yet when she walked out of her room, Mom was standing there, ready to go. Not only that, she looked like she had just stepped off the cover of a magazine. It was… amazing.

As soon as everyone was dressed and ready to go, Sarah passed out the earpieces and showed the kids how to put them in. Heather and Chuck Junior looked amazing. They were wearing the same outfits from their big date. In spite of how much of a hurry they were in, Sarah had to take a moment and admire them. She even made them pose for a picture. After all, they looked like a picture perfect couple. Then she had them take off their jackets as she showed them how to put on their shoulder holsters. "I know that you both know how to handle a gun," she said with a sigh. "And I trust you to make the right decisions. But the mom in me just has to say this. This is not a toy. You never take it out of the holster unless you intend to shoot it. And you never shoot it unless you intend to kill someone."

x-x-x-x-x

The entire block where Janice's Senate Office was located was a madhouse. It was the typical media feeding frenzy. All the news networks had live feed trucks parked on the street. The TV lights had the place so lit that it was actually brighter than daylight. Once Sarah took a glance at the scene, she immediately scratched her plan to monitor the situation from the perimeter. There were far too many unknown people milling around outside of the office for that to work. She knew that she had to be a lot closer to prevent any attack. Besides that, somebody clearly needed to calm Alex down. He plainly was having a panic attack worried about the thought of Kate being in danger. Of course, he didn't realize that he was also in danger. Then again, maybe he did realize it – and that simply wasn't as important to him as Kate was. How unbelievably cute was that?

"Okay guys," Sarah sighed as she surveyed the situation from inside the van. Even though she wasn't expecting any trouble tonight, her spy instincts were ringing off the hook. "This is crazy. Kate, how many of these reporters do you actually know?"

"Some," Kate said. "These must all be people who work out of Los Angeles. I've talked to some of them during the campaign. A few covered the victory party. I'm really only familiar with the Washington Bureau folks."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Alex, what about you?"

"I don't know any of the reporters," Alex said. "I recognize a couple of staffers. Since they were assigned by the party, I'm assuming I would know them all. I would hope that they are all trustworthy – but, then again, Julie was assigned by the party as well."

"That's a good point," Sarah said. "That means that we trust no one. Kate, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to go right to the podium and make a brief announcement," Kate said. "Someone from the party must have tipped them off that I would be here tonight. Then Alex and I will go inside and meet with the staff for a few minutes. That will give the networks enough time to prepare their coverage teams. Then, I'll come out and hold a press conference. After that, I'll make myself available for some personal interviews. There are a couple of networks that have been very nice to us. I want to reward them by giving them first crack at the story. I'm assuming that some reporters will want to talk to Alex as well – maybe even Sparky and you."

Sarah sighed. "I'm not talking to the press," she said. "I'm still an undercover CIA Agent. They know the rules about showing my face. And I don't like you and Alex being alone behind closed doors with the staff. Neither of you has a weapon. Can you take your brother with you?"

Kate just nodded. "I suppose," she sighed. Then she turned to Sparky. "Please don't say anything to embarrass me. This is far too important to Aunt Janice. It has to go well. As a matter of fact, it would be best if you pretended to be mute."

"Don't worry about me," Spark said with a grin. "I'll let you do all of the embarrassing yourself. You're the pro."

Sarah groaned. "Okay you two," she said. "This isn't one of your games. Fair warning. If I hear any more of the usual crap between you two tonight, I'm going to do something to make you both pay. That's a promise. Understood?"

They both just nodded.

Sarah just shook her head – with a pained smile. "Okay," she said. "Chuck Junior will stick to Kate like glue – all night. I'll find Alex as soon as the staff meeting is over and stay with him. Chuck and Heather will stay in the van, monitor the surroundings and our comm. – and be ready to provide backup in case they are needed. I sure wish that Joe and Elise were here. We could really use them."

They were actually lucky that Janice had an L.A. office at all. After all, Alex really didn't have much time to set anything up. Fortunately, the national party had stepped in. So that meant that Alex knew all of the temporary staff that the party had assigned. The bad news was that he knew all of the temporary staff. That meant he knew Tim Oswald. He winced as soon as he spotted him. Tim was a player. One of those pretty boy types that rose up the ranks purely because of his looks. That he would make a play for the newest Beltway Babe was almost a given.

All Alex could do was sigh to himself. Who didn't want to make a play for her? It was just another example of the price you had to pay to marry the most beautiful girl in the world. After all, this was politics as usual.

x-x-x-x-x

Shaw was still watching news programs, switching between the various cable news channels, well into the night. The press has seized upon this story with a furor that only a twenty-hour hour news organization could. Suddenly CNN broke in with a breaking-news alert. Shaw watched with a grin as Kate Bartowski's press conference was covered from start to finish. He was surprised how much she looked like her mother. He hadn't paid that much attention before – but she was quite stunning.

He also had to admit, Kate Bartowski was an incredibly impressive package. She was handling those reporter's questions like she had been doing this for twenty years. It was extra impressive how she announced that Senator Casey was running for President – without having to actually say it. She was very smooth. It was really too bad. If things had been different, there would have been room for young Kate at the agency. After all, good PR people were hard to find. It would only be a matter of time before some company waived an unbelievable amount of money at her and lured her away to represent them. Assuming that she was going to live, of course.

Then the idea hit him – between the eyes. Of course. Volkoff Industries needed a new PR spokesperson – a new fresh face to be the persona of the company. They were about to make this young rising superstar an offer that she couldn't possibly refuse. After all, who could turn down that kind of money? It was really ironic. His moronic friends wanted to use young Kate Bartowski's youth and immaturity against her. That was always a stupid idea. Now here – Shaw was going to use her maturity – the very strength that protected her before - against her. _This is going to be fun. So she is engaged_. _What a shame there isn't going to be a wedding_.

Maybe it was time to see this for himself. After all, Casey's Senate office was only twenty minutes away. Shaw was incredulous. Was Sarah Walker really being this careless? It was insulting. Did she really underestimate him that much?

It was time to find out.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they were out of the van, Kate pulled Sparky aside. "See that guy?" she whispered so that only Sparky could hear as she indicated a man in his forties standing outside the office by himself smoking a cigarette.

When Sparky nodded, Kate continued. "He is a reporter from the Post," she whispered. "He is mega-creepy. His hands were all over me at Aunt Janice's Victory party. I'm surprised that he hasn't made it to Washington. Please don't let him be alone with me. The last thing that can happen tonight is for Alex to see him grabbing my ass. That's all I need. He's ultra sensitive about seeing me with other men."

"Oh come on," Sparky whispered back with an evil grin. "Look at him. The poor guy needs a little action – don't you think?"

"How about this for action," Kate asked sarcastically. "If he touches my ass tonight – I'm kicking yours. Action enough for you?"

"Maybe," Sparky said, just loud enough so that Alex couldn't hear. "But maybe you should tell Alex. I mean – don't you believe in an honest relationship? Do you want me to tell him for you? I'd be more than happy too."

"Please do," Kate said sarcastically. "I actually agree with this honest relationship stuff. In that same vein, I think that it's also important that Heather know about the disgusting scene that I walked in on at the boathouse on the Forth of July – and how Miss July-Big-Boobs-Airhead seemed to misplace half of her bikini. Don't you agree?"

"Enough," Sarah's voice crackled in their earpieces. "You do remember that you're both on comm., right? Maybe I didn't explain this well enough. You see kids - when you're wearing a wire - that means the rest of us can hear everything that you say. So, Katie, there will be no need to hide anything from Alex about your ordeal at the victory party. He now already knows. You yourself just told him. For what it's worth, most guys would be ultra sensitive about seeing another man put their hand on their fiancé's ass. I think that Alex is acting very maturely. I'm actually quite proud of him. By the way, rest assured. If that creep comes anywhere close to touching your ass tonight, there won't be enough left of him for an autopsy. I'm in no mood to watch anything like that. And Chuck Junior, Heather already knows now about your ridiculous fling with that unpleasant beauty queen with more boobs that brains. So there will be no need to try and hide it from her. But I would like to have a little one-on-one chat with you later about why I had to go get firewood that day when you were supposed to be getting it. And what apparently happened in the boathouse when you swore to me that you were off looking for said firewood. Let's plan on having that little chat later tonight, shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sparky said with a pained expression.

"This is not a game," Sarah said firmly. "I told you what would happen if I had to listen to any of your foolishness, right? Well, you're both going to pay. You two had better start paying attention – right now or you're really going to pay. Shaw might be watching us as we speak. Lose focus for a second and someone I love dies. Please tell me that I'm being clear."

Both Kate and Sparky knew that they were in serious trouble. When Mom took that tone… "Yes, ma'am," they said as one. "Very clear."

"This discussion is not over," Sarah said. "Don't make me say it again."

x-x-x-x-x

The rest of the night actually went a lot better – in a lot of ways. Chuck turned off all of the earpieces so that the only one everyone could hear was him in the van – and then only when he turned on his mic.

For one thing, you had to feel good watching Kate work the room. Her press conference was a work of art. She was serious when she needed to be – but funny when she needed to be. And lord help the reporter that tried to ask a hostile question. She was simply a genius at turning it around and making him look foolish. Even as on edge and – well, just plain annoyed with Kate she was at the moment, Sarah had to admit – she was a freaking natural.

Alex just stood there and watched his fiancé – in awe. She was truly in her element. He wasn't crazy about that extra button thing – but he understood. And sure, Tim Oswald tried but she shot him down so fast that he never knew what hit him. It was actually kinda funny to watch.

Alex really wasn't used to being interviewed himself. He was far more comfortable working behind the scenes. But Kate identified Sparky and him as the heroes that had mounted the critical rescue – and used that opportunity to slip in the fact that they were newly engaged. So he suddenly found himself deluged with requests by reporters for an interview. As a matter of fact he had just gotten done talking live to CNN. Alex quickly found out that it wasn't nearly as easy as Kate made it look. Oh, he did – okay. But he definitely wasn't smooth like Kate. For one thing, he worried about saying too much.

"Well," he said as soon as the interview ended. "That's the last time they'll ask me."

Sarah just grinned. That was typical Alex – modest. Cute – but modest. There was also one good thing about Alex's interview. It kept his mind off the group of male reporters that were currently circling Kate much like a group of sharks would circle a school of tuna. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Sweetie, you did great. Besides, now they know that you're the hero of this deal. Expect them to ask you for interviews – a lot."

Alex groaned. "Do you really think so?" he asked. "It's better if we can keep the focus on politics."

Sarah grabbed his hand. "Trust me, Alex," she said. "When this full story becomes known - you, Elise, and Chuck Junior are going to become rock stars for quite a while. We're going to have to figure out who is going to play you in the movie."

"I'm thinking Homer Simpson," Alex said with a grin.

"No way," Sarah replied. "Too old – and too yellow. Sweetie, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I know that it's hard watching your girl being the center of attention of so many men. But you're doing great. You're actually doing a lot better than Chuck did at this stage of our relationship."

It wasn't ten seconds before Chuck's voice came through their earpieces. "Hey," he said. "In my defense, I'm not sure what this stage of our relationship even means. We were engaged for three days. And, while I'll agree, Alex is doing great – he didn't have to watch Kate go on missions with her ex."

Sarah smiled – in spite of the tenseness. "Okay, sweetie," she said. "Duly noted."

x-x-x-x-x

The one that was taking this mission the most seriously, besides Sarah of course was Heather. To say that she was a little spooked was an understatement. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was overwhelming her. And, no, it didn't have anything to do with what Sparky had done in the boat house on the Forth of July. They both had been with plenty of other people. She frankly couldn't even remember the guy's name that she had spent the Forth of July with. It would be stupid to get jealous over some stupid fling with a girl that Mom clearly couldn't stand. Not that Heather was above being jealous. She was most definitely prepared to defend her turf. She was simply going to choose her battles. And this one wasn't worth fighting - although she was fully planning on using it to tease him at some point in the near future.

It's just that tonight had all happened much too fast. This afternoon – only eight hours ago, she thought that she had lost him. Then came the wonderful news that she was yearning for. Soon after, they were going to start planning their future together. Now, here they were, waiting for someone to come and kill him again. There was one thing that Heather knew for sure. She couldn't lose him – not now. They were just on the edge of something magical.

So she was most definitely on edge. Dad was clearly trying to keep the mood light. He obviously had some fence mending to do after yesterday's capture. In the van, they had cameras pointed in every direction. Heather was sort of torn. On the one hand, she didn't want to be rude to her future father-in-law. But she also wasn't going to lose focus. She hadn't taken her eye off those monitors for a single instant. So when she saw him, it took a long moment for her brain to register what she was really looking at. Then for another long moment, she was too stunned to speak. All she could do was grab Chuck's arm – and point to the monitor.

Chuck immediately keyed the mic that would let him talk to everyone. "Okay team," he said as calmly as he could. "Listen up. We have a visual on Daniel Shaw."

x-x-x-x-x


	36. Bonus Baby

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_They tried to get Kate lonely and seduce her. That failed miserably. Can Kate be seduced in some other way?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Bonus Baby**

x-x-x-x-x

"Where is he?" Sarah asked as she instinctively stepped in front of Alex to shield him. Never mind the fact that she was herself far more likely to be Shaw's target than Alex was.

"Don't worry," Chuck said. "He's well outside the perimeter that the police set up. He's standing in the crowd of citizens that's watching the festivities. There is no sign of any weapon."

Now Sarah was really cursing the fact that Elise and Joe weren't here. "Can I get to him?" she asked.

"I don't see how," Chuck said. "There are about a hundred innocents between him and you. He's looking right at you. He'd see you coming from a mile away. All you would do is tip him off that we've made him."

Heather finally found her voice. "He doesn't know me," she said. "Maybe I can get close to him. Should I try and arrest him – or just shoot him?"

Chuck looked at Heather with a new found respect. "That's very brave," he said. "But you're not going to have time. Shaw isn't going to attack tonight. He is just looking." Indeed, while they were watching, Shaw turned and disappeared into the darkness.

"Okay, Chuck," Sarah said. "I think we've had enough fun for tonight. Why don't you get Kate to wrap up her current interview and we'll all meet in the van."

Sarah then grabbed Alex's hand and led him to a spot where they could watch Kate and Chuck Junior. Once they were safely in the van, she let Alex lead her to join them.

When Sarah finally was inside, she could see that Chuck was already reviewing the tape. "Anything interesting?" she asked.

"Not really," Chuck said. "He was clearly just scooping out the area. There is no indication that he was with anyone."

"All of this for nothing," Alex sighed. "He got away."

Sarah stepped over to Alex and rustled his hair. "Actually," she said. "Tonight was a huge success. We never expected Shaw to attack tonight. Now we know for sure that he's in the area – and still interested in us." Then she turned to her husband. "How did you ever spot him in that crowd? That's impressive, even for the intersect."

"It wasn't me," Chuck said with a smile and a nod toward Heather. "It was eagle eyes here. She spotted him on the monitor."

Sarah reached out and grabbed Heather's hand. "Sweetie," she said. "Nice job. I'm very impressed – and I don't impress easily. At least someone was taking tonight seriously." Then she turned to Alex. "Alex, will you drive us home? Heather can ride shotgun. I'd like to have a little chat with the rest of the team."

Kate and Chuck Junior just looked at each other. They knew that look on Mom's face. They were about to catch seven kinds of hell. They weren't disappointed. Mom was clearly ready to deliver all seven.

"Okay," Sarah said in disgust. "Just what in the hell am I going to do with you two?"

All Chuck Junior and Kate could do was to stare at her – remorsefully. They knew full well that the question was rhetorical.

"You both know how much I hate it when you two bicker," Sarah continued. "We've talked about it hundreds of times. And yet you continually subject me to it. That's bad enough. But to lose focus on a critical mission with lives on the line, well, that's completely unacceptable. You simply have to be punished."

Kate and Chuck Junior just looked at each other in horror. But then Sarah did something that neither expected. She sat on Chuck's lap and began kissing him. Oh, the kids had seen their parents kiss – lot's of times – but never like this. Chuck himself was clearly surprised when he felt Sarah's mouth open – at first – but the action quickly escalated from there – until they were in the middle of a hot make-out session.

Kate was the first to speak. "Mom," she cried. "What are you doing? That's disgusting."

Sarah broke the kiss just long enough to turn toward Kate. "You ain't seen nothing yet," she said with an evil grin. "You know that I hate having to watch you two bicker - so, I just figured out a perfect way to punish you. Here's our new deal. Whenever you make me watch you bicker with your brother, I'm going to make you watch your dad get lucky – sound fair?"

Kate was simply speechless. Chuck Junior was always the negotiator in these kinds of situations anyway. And tonight was no exception. "Okay, Mom," he quickly said. "We're very sorry. Please. You've made your point – very clearly. What will it take to convince you that we've learned our lesson?"

"I don't know," Sarah said as she buried her head in Chuck's chest and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Make me an offer."

"How about if we promise to stop fighting in front of you?" Kate asked desperately.

Sarah just shook her head. "That might have been enough before that display outside tonight," she said. "But now you've gone and pissed me off. It's going to have to start with you two cleaning up the van and putting the gear away when we get home."

"Done," Chuck Junior said quickly with a sigh of relief. That was a small enough price. And right now, they would have agreed too much, much more.

"But Chuck Junior," Sarah said. "There is still the little matter of you lying to me on the Fourth of July. You know how much I hate being lied too. It's the ultimate sign of disrespect."

"Mom," Chuck Junior said. "I'm sorry. I never intended to make you go look for firewood. It's just that… well, things got out of hand in the boathouse – and I didn't want to tell you the truth – for obvious reasons. I'm very sorry that I lied to you. I hope that you don't think it's because I disrespect you."

"Here's what is going to happen," Sarah said. "You love your sister. I know that you do. You just risked your life to save her. Why don't you tell her? That would make a mother's heart happy."

Chuck Junior groaned. "Mom," he said. "Please…"

"No problem," Sarah said as she resumed kissing Chuck.

"I love you," Chuck Junior said quickly.

"Now see," Sarah said as she broke the kiss again. "That didn't sound sincere to me at all." Then she turned to Chuck. "Did it sound sincere to you?"

Chuck knew that he couldn't speak without laughing – so he just shook his head.

Naturally, Alex and Heather were in the front. They were laughing so hard that Alex was having a hard time driving.

Chuck Junior knew what he had to do. So he turned toward his sister. "I love you," he said softly. "I know that I never say it – but I do."

"That was nice," Sarah said. "Kate, when someone that you love tells you that – what is the correct response?"

Kate also knew what Mom was demanding. "I love you too," she said.

"Nice," Sarah said with a grin as she moved off Chuck's lap and sat next to him. "Now see, was that really so hard? Now, if you two were to actually hug – well maybe I could forget that tonight ever happened. But I hope that you both realize that I'm letting you off very easy tonight. Next time…"

Kate reached over and put her arms around her brother. "I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered into his ear.

"Me too," Chuck Junior whispered back as he held her. "Just don't throw up in the van. We have to clean it."

Chuck turned to his wife. "Hey," he whined. "What about me? You can't light the fuse that this and then just walk away. It's not fair."

Sarah patted his leg. "Don't worry, big guy," she said. "We're almost home. I promise that we'll have a big explosion."

Kate was still holding Sparky. "Now I know that I'm going to be sick," she whispered.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah knew that she had to let everyone sleep in this morning. After all, yesterday had been a hell of a day. And you couldn't be as alert as she needed them to be when you were dog tired. She knew that she would be taking a bit of a chance only taking Chuck with her to pick up Ellie, Devon, and Bryce from the airport. After all, Shaw knew where home base was. But Sarah knew that he would never attack here. It was far too fortified. Especially since Elise and Joe had arrived sometime in the night and were sleeping in the guest room. Sarah poked her head in Bryce's room and saw Robbie soundly sleeping. That wasn't unusual. Robbie had spent the night scores of times. She went to make some coffee before waking Chuck up. She knew that after last night's – well, explosion – he would need it. But Sarah was surprised to see someone already sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey," Chuck Junior said as he poured his mom a cup of coffee.

"Sweetie," Sarah said in surprise. "What are you doing up? You should be bone tired."

"I couldn't sleep," Chuck Junior said. "I need to talk to you."

Sarah was alarmed by the tone in his voice. So she sat down across the table from him. "Okay, sweetie," she said. "What's on your mind?"

"I feel horrible about the Fourth of July," Chuck Junior said. "I'm so, so sorry that I lied to you. It wasn't disrespect. I can't stand you thinking that. It's just that there were a lot of people there – and, well, the truth would have been embarrassing. I'm fully aware that you didn't think much of her. But I also know how much trust means to you. I hope that you can still trust me."

Sarah breathed a huge sigh of relief. And then she grinned. If he felt this badly about a little white lie… well, that said a lot about his character – and also the respect that he had for his mom. "You can tell me anything," she said as she reached out her hand to grab his. "No matter how embarrassing that you think it is. I understand why you did what you did. It was a tough spot. You're right – I didn't care for her – and I think that you know why. But, sweetie, if you think that I don't trust you anymore, you're just being silly."

Chuck Junior breathed a big sigh of relief himself. "Thank you," he said. "I won't ever lie to you again."

"Go back to bed," Sarah said with a laugh. "We have a big day ahead. We still have to catch Shaw. I'm going to wake up your dad. We're going to pick up Bryce, Devon and Ellie from the airport."

Chuck was very tired himself when Sarah came in to get him going. "Why do I have to go?" he asked. "Everybody else gets to sleep in."

Sarah smiled at her husband. "If you want to dance," she said. "You have to pay the band."

"Yeah," Chuck said with his head still under the pillow. "But the way I remember it, you did all of the dancing. Why do I have to pay the band?"

"Because," Sarah said with mock sweetness. "If you don't pay them, they might not come back for a long time. Is that really what you want? Besides, aren't you anxious to see your son? Don't worry. We'll get a nap in later."

Clearly Sarah was bouncing off the ceiling with excitement at seeing Bryce. The second that he walked past the security gate she wrapped him in a huge bear hug.

Bryce normally wouldn't want Mom hugging him in public – or in private, when it really came down too it. After all, he was at that age where your mom hugging you wasn't that cool. But today he clearly was willing to make an exception. He hugged Sarah back – at least as hard as she was hugging him.

"How was your trip?" Chuck asked Ellie – as soon as he could pry her off of him. "Did our guy give you any trouble?"

"He was perfect," Ellie said with a grin. "Absolutely perfect. Now, hurry up and get me home. I want to meet the new two members of our family."

x-x-x-x-x

Heather had never been so comfortable in her life. She knew by the sun streaming in through the curtains that it was well past their normal oh six hundred wake-up call. But she simply couldn't open her eyes. Sparky was spooned into her back. She had grabbed the hand that was looped over her and held it firmly to her stomach. So she was effectively surrounded by him. It felt so warm, so safe – so incredible. And honestly, she would probably still be in bed if it wasn't for the incredible aroma that had drifted into the room. "What's that smell?" she asked, more to herself than anybody. After all, Sparky had shown no sign of waking up.

"Pancakes," Sparky said groggily as he took a deep breath. "Aunt Ellie must be here. She makes the best pancakes."

Heather rolled over to face him. "Good morning," she whispered as she touched her lips to his."

"Good morning, beautiful," Sparky said. "Are you hungry? Come on. I want to show you off to the rest of the family."

x-x-x-x-x

When Sparky and Heather came out of their room, the first thing that they saw was Ellie. She was clearly in her element. Her face was positively beaming. "Hey you two," she called. "Come and sit down. I have some pancakes just getting ready to come off the griddle."

Sparky stepped up and hugged her. "Thanks," he said. "I'm starved."

Ellie paused for a moment. "You must be Heather," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Heather said as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Heather Moore. Dr. Woodcomb, it's such an honor to meet you. I just read your article in the Journal. It was very impressive."

Ellie just ignored the outstretched hand – and threw her arms around Heather. "The name is Ellie," she said. "It's my honor to meet you. Anybody who could tame Sparky here is most impressive."

Heather's eyes sparkled. "Thank you," she said. "I'm not sure that he's totally tamed yet – but I'm working on it."

"Good for you," Ellie said with a laugh. "I understand that you want to go to Medical School. I want to talk to you about that later. I really hope that you'll consider UCLA. But for right now, your pancakes are getting cold."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate couldn't keep the grin off her face as she sat in her new office – in spite of the fact that she had more work to do than could possibly get done. After all, this morning had been perfect. First she got to see Bryce. She hadn't seen him in almost two months. And where she treated Sparky like a punching bag, Bryce was – different. She treated him like the baby of the family. Aunt Ellie and Devon also made a big deal about seeing her again.

But most of all, her good mood was due to her new guy. Could Alex possibly be any sweeter? First, he fit in with the family like he had been there for years. Breakfast was an absolute blast. They were all laughing and joking. Kate's only worry was to not insult Sparky in front of Mom.

But best of all, was how Alex acted with Robbie. Kate was frankly, concerned about that. She knew that Robbie had a huge crush. And the last thing that she wanted was to hurt him. But the very, very last thing that she wanted was to make Alex jealous in any way. But her amazing guy popped that apparently silly concern like a soap bubble. He even encouraged her to spend some time alone with Robbie. That made both of them feel great. And she could tell by Elise's face that she was very grateful.

Naturally, they were still on full alert. Mom and Dad were currently in the van. Elise and Heather were guarding the entrance to Kate and Alex's offices. Joe and Chuck Junior were outside, looking for possible threats.

There was a lot of work for Kate to do. Fortunately, the media madhouse had calmed down – a little. There were still all of the network trucks – but now it was just a steady request for one-on-one interviews. Kate actually did a couple – for organizations that she liked. But most she was able to beg off by saying that she wanted to wait until after Janice's announcement.

First, they had to hire an office manager for the California Office. After all, she and Alex were going to be in Washington most of the time. Fortunately, Alex was currently interviewing candidates in the other office.

Then there was Janice's announcement speech to polish up. Fortunately, Alex had helped her with a pretty good draft in Kentucky. All that she needed was to clean it up and add some current events. But it simply had to be perfect.

Then there was that. Soon, Janice would be a formal candidate for President. That meant she and Alex would be working full time on the campaign. And it wouldn't be appropriate, or even technically legal, to do that out of the Senate offices. They would have to open campaign offices in each state.

But with all that, Kate still felt herself always drawn to the same subject. How soon could they get married? She surely wanted it to happen as quickly as possible – tonight would work if it was up to her. But they certainly couldn't take any time right now for a honeymoon. Maybe they should just go to Vegas. Maybe on their way back to Washington after this was all over. After all, if it was good enough for Mom and Dad…

Kate was smiling at her daydream when there was a knock at her door. "Yes," she called.

A staffer that Kate had just met last night popped her head in the room. "Excuse me, Miss Bartowski," she said. "But a gentleman is asking to see you. His name is Alan Gold from Volkoff Industries and he is saying that it's very important that he talks to you right away."

In the van, Sarah could see the flash hit Chuck right away. It was one the longest flashes she had ever seen – so she didn't wait for it to end. "Red Alert," she said so that the entire team could hear her. "There is a bad guy trying to get in to see Kate."

Sarah could plainly see that the flash had taken a lot out of Chuck. That alone told her that there must be a ton of information. "Sweetie," she said urgently. "Who is this guy?"

"The intersect has never heard of any Alan Gold," Chuck was finally able to gasp out. "I doubt that's his real name. But Volkoff Industries is very bad. They are a semi-legitimate Russian company. But they are also the funding for The Ring."

Sarah paused for a moment to think through what to do. Fortunately, the State Police had been searching everyone before they allowed them into the building. So she knew that this guy couldn't be carrying a weapon. "Okay, team," she finally said. "Let's be alert. Heather, Elise, move into position to get into that office quickly. Kate, this guy is bad. See what he wants – but if he does anything the least bit aggressive, scream for help. Elise and Heather will come in with guns blazing."

x-x-x-x-x

One thing that Kate had to admit – Alan Gold was a very, very attractive man – but he clearly also knew it. He was one of those pretty boy types like Hunter from the club – the kind that Kate usually chewed up and spit out. "Hello, Mr. Gold," she said as she struck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Are you a supporter of Senator Casey?"

Gold flashed a perfect smile as he grabbed Kate's offered hand. "First off," he said. "Please call me Alan. I'm not currently formally a supporter – but I admire her very much."

Okay – so the first thing was that he wasn't letting go of Kate's hand. She didn't want to appear rude by jerking it away – so she let it slide for the moment. "Perhaps you'd like to make a campaign contribution?"

"Perhaps," Gold said. "But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk about you."

"Me?" Kate questioned. "I'm not a candidate."

Gold finally let go of her hand. "No," he said. "But you're truly remarkable. We would like to talk about your joining Volkoff Industries as our head of Public Relations."

Kate just smiled. "I'm sorry, Alan," she said. "I already have a job. One that I love."

"I don't think that you understand," Gold said. "We've had our eye on you every since you first started working on Senator Casey's Senate campaign. You've been nothing short of brilliant. And while public service is a noble endeavor, we would like that brilliance – and frankly, that fresh face to represent Volkoff Industries. Don't sell yourself short, Kate. We think that you have what it takes to be a superstar. We want to lock you up. If everything works out well, we're talking about a five year contract in the ten-million dollar range. That would put yourself in a secure financial position for the rest of your life. Surely, you owe it to yourself to at least consider this, am I right?"

Mom's voice crackled in her earpiece. "Tell him that you're interested," she said. "Let's see what he has in mind."

"Okay, Alan," Kate said. "That sounds very attractive. Of course I'd like to hear more."

"How about dinner tonight?" Gold asked. "We can discuss specifics of the job – and maybe even get to know each other a little better. I'd like that."

Mom's voice came quickly. "Katie, I know that you don't want to do this," she said. "But this is our big break. You need to accept. Smile. Flirt with him a little. He is testing you. The man just offered you ten million dollars. You have to act like you're interested. He won't buy that you're interested if you're cold. We need to see what they have in mind."

Mom was right. Kate didn't want to do this. Hopefully Alex wasn't listening to this part. But she forced the smile on her face. "Okay, Alan," she said. "I'd like that as well. I'm looking really forward to it - especially the getting to know each other better part."

x-x-x-x-x


	37. Double Down

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_The stakes just got raised – in more ways than one._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Double Down**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah waited until they were safely home before she addressed the situation with Kate and Alan Gold. Everybody was far too freaked to discuss it in the van. But as soon as they were home, she herded the team into the media room. Sarah had plainly called ahead – because Casey and Janice were on the screen waiting for them.

"The situation has just dramatically changed," Sarah said. "Shaw has just made an incredible blunder. The Ring has gone to great lengths to protect Volkoff Industries. None of them have ever mentioned the company in all of the questioning that we have done. Shaw just exposed it. We simply have to take advantage of that. We…"

Alex normally would have shut up and listened in this situation – but he was beyond freaked out at the moment. Freaked might be the wrong word. He was fed up. This was getting old, it was entirely too real, and his Kate was clearly the focal point - again. "I have two questions," he interrupted. "Why on earth would Shaw do that? And what is Volkoff Industries anyway and why do we even give a rip about them?"

Sarah smiled at him. She knew that Alex wasn't trying to be rude. He was just very concerned about someone that he loved. She could certainly sympathize with that. "Actually," she said. "That's three questions. Alex, sweetie, we're going to answer all of your questions that we can. But you're simply going to have to calm down a little. Nothing has been decided. And I seriously doubt that we're going to do anything that you're not fully on board with. Can you do me a favor? Trust me a little? Take a deep breath and listen with an open mind – please?"

Alex just nodded – after a moment. "I trust you," he said. "Mom, if that sounded like anything else, I'm really, really sorry. That's the last thing I would want. I'm just ready for this to be over."

"Thank you," Sarah said. "Alex, you didn't offend me. Nobody blames you for wanting this to be over. You've been perfect. I need you to hang in there for just a little while longer. You asked some good questions. The answer to your first question is pretty easy. Shaw didn't think that we would make any connection between him and Volkoff Industries. The only way that we did was because of the Intersect. Shaw didn't think that Chuck has had an update in over ten years now. Without the update that we lifted from Shaw's safe, he wouldn't have flashed. Shaw wanted to make Kate an offer that would appear to be legitimate. He clearly felt safe that we wouldn't understand the significance."

"As far as what is Volkoff Industries," Chuck said. "We know quite a bit about them. Alexi Volkoff was a higher up in the old Soviet Union. That regime didn't exactly keep an updated org chart, but he clearly was a key decision maker. That put him in a perfect position to profit from the breakup of the Soviet Union. His company made untold billions. They are, in a lot of ways, a legitimate business. Through their wholly owned subsidiaries they are into a lot of manufacturing operations in South America. They also own most of the mineral rights in Eastern Europe. Lately, they have been buying controlling interest in several strategic American companies. But Volkoff also has a political agenda. He apparently took losing the Cold War personally. It's sort of ironic. Even though he's made billions by being a capitalist, he hates them. To put it mildly, he is not a pleasant man. He is willing to be ruthless beyond belief. He is also into some simply evil stuff. There are rumors about things that he's ordered that defy belief. Things that I'll not even go into – they would turn your stomach."

"As far as your last question," Janice said. "That is exactly what we need to find out. It was always odd that The Ring leadership gave up so easily. They clearly still have some hope to accomplish something. We need to find out what that hope is. The President has just signed an executive order to authorize our team to take whatever action is necessary to find out what they are up too. This is a much higher priority to him than capturing Daniel Shaw."

"I have a question," Kate said. "You said that Shaw wanted to make a legitimate offer. Ten million dollars? That's not believable."

Janice just smiled. "I think that it is very believable," she said. "Don't sell yourself short, Katie. People have been watching how brilliantly you have been handling the media. They see how incredibly beautiful you are. Companies are going to be wetting their collective pants trying to get you to represent them. I've already had some inquiries in the day I've been back about your availability. I actually think that ten million is just a starting point. If you were willing to play hardball, you could probably negotiate twice that. I'm going to hate to lose you – but your future is clearly not in politics."

"What does Shaw want with Kate?" Sparky asked. "I'm not liking the sound of this – at all."

Sarah smiled at the protective instinct for his sister shining through. Who is he kidding? "He doesn't want Kate," she said. "This is just his way of getting to me. I seriously doubt that he thinks he can actually turn her. It's more likely that he thinks that he can get Kate alone so that he can abduct her – and use her to leverage me."

"Okay," Kate said. "So what should we do?"

Sarah sighed. "Let's take a little break," she said. "Kate, Alex, I would like to talk to you in private for a minute. Elise, I need you too."

x-x-x-x-x

Alan Gold walked into the safe house, and went directly to Shaw. The grin on his face said everything.

"Did she buy it?" Shaw asked.

"Yes, sir," Gold said. "She certainly appeared too. At least, she agreed to have dinner tonight. She was clearly flirting with me. That's out of character for her from what I can tell."

"That's what I understand," Shaw said. "But there is no sense in rushing into anything. Let's be careful. Take her to dinner tonight. I had the legal department at Volkoff Industries prepare an offer, a formal contract, and a bonus check. Make her the offer – pending making you comfortable that she's up for the job. Let's see how she reacts to that. Push her as far as you can. Let's see exactly what young Miss Bartowski will do for ten million dollars."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Kate, Alex, and Elise into the safe room. She just looked at them for a long moment. "Katie, Alex," she finally said. "Look. I think that you can see where this is quickly going. So let's talk. This is the place to be totally honest. Don't worry about offending me or Elise. Katie, I know that you're not a spy. And I never wanted you to have any part of this business. But I need you to understand something. This is what your dad and I have dedicated our entire adult lives to fighting – so I'd appreciate it if you would, at least consider this. Having said that, you know how much I love you. Alex, I love you just as much. I never, ever would do anything to hurt you – or your relationship. I want to be there when you say your wedding vows to each other. I want to bounce your children on my knee. I want to have Thanksgiving dinner with a full house when I'm seventy. But I also want to do the right thing for the country. We have a chance to do something incredible for the greater good. Catching Shaw would be a very good thing. But busting Volkoff and stopping his plans would be a game changing thing. You have a perfect opening to possibly identify Volkoff's leadership team – and maybe even Volkoff himself."

Kate looked at her mom – with a soft smile. This was a side of her that Kate had rarely seen. Mom didn't usually ask – she simply told you her expectations. "What exactly do you want me to do?" she asked.

Sarah returned her smile. "That is why Elise is here," she said. "She is the expert at predicting what will happen in these kinds of situations."

Elise sighed. "This could go two ways," she said. "The first is less likely – but easier to defend. This could all just be a load of crap. Shaw could be just using tonight to get Kate alone and try to capture her. We know that he had men outside the base with pictures of Sparky and Kate. If that's his plan, we can just tail her, wait for Shaw to show up, and shoot him in the head."

Sarah sighed. "Yesterday, that would have been a victory," she said.

"Yeah," Elise continued. "Now we want more. Fortunately from what I hear about him, he's way too smart for that. He doesn't think that we know about the connection between Volkoff and him. Kate already showed some interest in his pile of money. She even flirted with the guy. I'll bet he is going to let that play out. He will allow Kate to think that this job is legitimate. He's hoping that she gets blinded by the dollar signs and let's her guard down. I mean, what's his rush? He's waited for twenty-five years for his revenge, right? What are a few more days? That's actually good news for us. After all, we don't want Gold. He is simply an eye-candy underling. We want him to introduce Kate to someone higher up the Volkoff food chain, perhaps Volkoff himself. Before he'll be willing to do that, he'll want to take his time. He'll be looking to be sure that she's acting like he would expect before he makes his move. And besides – I'm thinking that Katie is not his favorite person anyway. She foiled all of their plans with her lack of cooperation. I'll bet that Shaw will enjoy watching her fall. He wants to make sure that she's truly vulnerable. That's when he'll have her – and her mom."

"How does he expect I'll act?" Kate asked.

"He doesn't know you at all," Elise said. "But what would a normal twenty-one year old woman who just graduated from college do when an incredibly charming man offers her the chance for a job paying ten million dollars? There is only one way to get higher than Gold. And that's by charming the… umm…"

"Go ahead and finish your thought," Kate said softly. "You were going to say that I should charm the pants off him, weren't you? He knows that I'm engaged. Why would he be expecting anything? Do you really think that I should sleep with him?"

Elise didn't answer her question – directly. "We know that they've already tried to seduce you," she said. "And Kate – the fact that you're engaged means absolutely nothing to him. If anything it makes it more exciting of a challenge."

"Let's get something straight right now," Sarah said firmly. "You're not going to sleep with him. That's simply off the table. We might ask you to lead him to believe that you would be willing to consider it - as a reward – if he does exactly what you want. But if it comes down to actual sex – it's not worth that. Trust me, I've been there."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Kate asked in a frustrated voice. "Mom, I would have no idea what to do. I've seduced one man in my entire life. The man was in love with me and even then, Alex held out for a week. Elise, you've been in these types of situations, right? What would you do?"

"You're asking the wrong person," Elise said with a laugh. "Honestly? At your age, for ten million dollars? I'd have made him a very happy man on the top of that desk this afternoon. But don't worry, sweetie. Nobody is expecting you to act like a slut. I know that's not you. He won't even expect that. If you come off too strong, it would tip him off. I suspect that he'll be the one actually making the moves. You just need to go with it. Besides, you'll be on comm. I'll talk you through the whole thing. But you will need to be prepared. I'm thinking worst case, a little second base type making out. Can you handle that - convincingly?"

Kate sighed. "Alex," she said. "You're being awfully quiet. What do you think I should do?"

"What do you want me to say?" Alex asked softly. "Do you want me to say that listening to you making out with another man wouldn't bother me? I'm sorry, I can't say that. I can say that I'm crazy about you. I can say that you're my life. I can say that's never going to change. I can even say that I understand why you have to do this and I'll love you just as much when this is over – no matter what happens. But it's going to bother me."

Sarah stepped over and grabbed Alex's hand. "Of course it would bother you," she said. "There would be something wrong if it didn't bother you. That's why you can't listen to it. Elise will be the only one on comm. with Kate. Kate would never be able to do this knowing that you or I or her dad or her brother was listening. We're going to have to trust Elise."

"Alex," Kate said. "I really want to do the right thing here. But I can't hurt you. I won't do that. You're the most important thing in the world to me. So I need you to look me in the eye and promise me that this won't affect us."

"I'll make you a deal," Alex said. "I'll make you your promise - gladly. It will be the easiest thing that I've ever done. Because nothing could ever affect the way I feel about you. I'll even stop acting like a baby about it – but as soon as we catch Shaw, we immediately drive to Vegas and get married. If this guy gets to pretend to have you for an hour, I get to really have you for the rest of my life. I'd go through almost anything for that. Do we have a deal?"

Kate had to pause for a second to wipe the tears out of her eyes. After all, it was the most romantic thing that she had ever heard. But why should she have expected anything less from her amazing guy? She noticed that both Elise and Mom were blinking themselves. So she put her arms around him. "Yes, sweetie," she said. "Thank you. We definitely have a deal."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise spent the rest of the afternoon alone with Kate to get her emotionally ready. After all, for her to pull this off, her head had to be in the right place. The worst thing that could happen was for this guy to think that she was playing him. That could get dangerous. "One thing that you have to remember," Elise said as she helped Kate pick out the right dress. "You're absolutely gorgeous. He wants you. That's your weapon. He'd do almost anything for the chance to get you in bed. That gives you all of the power. Whenever you're feeling awkward, just smile at him. He'll forget his own name."

"If I ask you a question," Kate said. "Will you promise to not take offense?"

"Are you kidding?" Elise said with a laugh. "You can ask me anything."

"Did you umm…" Kate began. "I mean… You've done this a lot of times, right? Did you ever feel like a slut?"

"Never on a mission," Elise said thoughtfully. "I always thought of myself as an actress playing a role."

Kate just nodded.

"Of course," Elise added with a laugh. "Most of the roles I played were sluts."

That actually broke the tension. They shared a long laugh. "Don't worry, sweetie," Elise said. "You're going to do fine. I'm going to get you through his. I promise."

x-x-x-x-x

While Elise was spending her afternoon making sure that Kate was protected mentally, Sarah was spending her afternoon making sure that Kate was protected physically. And she was taking absolutely no chances. There was still the strong possibility that this was simply a play by Shaw to capture Kate tonight. So she doubled down on tracking devices, putting them in both her watch and shoe. Not only did she put the typical wire inside of her bra, she put another one in her purse.

Since they weren't sure where this dinner was going to be taking place, Sarah organized the team into three separate vehicles. Chuck would drive Elise and Heather in their ops van. They would stay well behind whatever vehicle Kate was in. That would allow Elise to stay in constant contact with Kate while Heather talked to the rest of the team without any fear of the van being spotted. Joe and Chuck Junior would be the main tail in Joe's car. Joe was instructed to never let them out of his sight. Sarah would take Alex and stay on their flank as much as possible. Sarah knew that Alex would need some comforting – and since they clearly shared a connection – that made a lot of sense.

The, well, you'd have to call it a date, started off pretty well. Alan Gold picked her up at the Senate Office in a black stretch limo. He was clearly prepared to put on the full court press. Fresh strawberries and chilled champagne were waiting when Kate took her seat.

If Kate wondered how active Elise was going to be, it was quickly answered. "Be careful with the champagne," she said. "Be sure to sip it slowly. We want you to be relaxed – but not too relaxed. Besides, strawberries are heavenly dipped in champagne. Take one, and close your eyes for a moment and savor it. Pretend that he's not there."

Kate had to smile. One thing that she had to admit about Elise – she was an absolute expert at reading people. And she was right – on both counts. It was calming – and the strawberry was absolutely heavenly.

Gold didn't let her escape into her own world for very long. "You look amazing tonight," he said.

"Thank you," Kate said. "So do you." That really wasn't a lie. Gold was a classic alpha-male - tall, broad shoulders, blue eyes, and a dimple when he smiled. Kate knew that she couldn't lose focus – but she couldn't help thinking how polar opposite he was from her Alex. She wondered how poor Alex was doing right now. The fact that Gold so clearly thought that he was going to score tonight made Kate's blood boil.

Elise must have sensed what Kate was thinking – because she quickly got her back on track. "Smile at him," she said. "Reach out and touch his arm. Compliment his suit. Tell him that it is very sexy."

Naturally, that was something that Kate would never say in a million years. But she did it. Gold grinned when Kate told him that his suit was sexy. Obviously he thought so too.

"I'm sorry to bring up business," Gold said as he handed her a folder. "Perhaps we can get this out of the way and enjoy the rest of our evening. I've taken the liberty of having our legal department draw up a contract. If things go as I expect tonight, I'm sure that you'll want to have your people review it. The terms are pretty straight-forward. Five years salary of one and a half million dollars per year. I've also attached your signing bonus check for three million. That is a total compensation of ten and a half million over five years."

Kate looked at the check. Indeed, it was written out to her. She had never seen so many zeroes in her life. "I notice that the check needs to be counter-signed," she said.

"I'm sorry," Gold said. "It's not a lack of trust. It's just that we haven't agreed on anything yet. I'm prepared to validate the check tonight – if things go well. We're prepared to make a tremendous investment in you, Kate. I hope that you won't take offense when I say that we need to make sure that we're going to get our money's worth."

"Ask him how," Elise said. "I already know. But let's hear him say it."

"What's it going to take to assure you?" Kate asked.

Gold just grinned. And then he put his hand on Kate's leg – about mid-thigh high. The signal was clear. "We need to make sure that we get your total commitment," he said.

"Wow," Elise said with a laugh. "This guy is about as subtle as a car bomb. Smile at him. Tell him what he wants to hear. If his hand is on your leg, put your hand over his – and move it up an inch. We need this guy on fire."

"Well, Alan," Kate said as she followed Elise's instructions. "I think I can safely say that by the end of the night, you're going to be more than satisfied."

Elise laughed into her ear for a long moment. "That was a perfect line," she said. "Are you sure you've never done this before? You're a natural. I bet the guy is going to have a hard time getting out of the limo. What a schmuck. I almost feel sorry for him. This is going to be even easier than I thought."

x-x-x-x-x


	38. A Spy is Born

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Kate decides that this spy stuff is easy – or is it? What happens when the bad guys don't do as you expect?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**A Spy is Born**

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay team," Elise said over the comm. link. "I have Kate safely in the van. Proceed with Phase II. Confidence remains high."

"Rodger that," Joe's voice quickly responded. "Sparky and I have a visual on the limo. The tracker that Kate planted corresponds to his physical location. So we're falling back out of sight. We'll let you know when he reaches a destination."

"I also copy," Sarah said. "The bug that Kate planted on his phone is coming through loud and clear. He is talking to Shaw as we speak. It sounds like he bought it. Are we recording?"

"That's affirmative," Elise said. "Chuck just verified that we are intercepting the call. We'll have a transcript by the time we return to home base. We also have Shaw's cell phone's current position identified. It appears to be where Gold and the limo are heading."

Sarah was smiling so hard that it was hard for her to talk. "Advise our new spy," she said. "That Alex and I have a bet going on which one of us gets to hug her first."

"I'll advise her," Elise responded. "But I'm afraid that you've both lost. Heather and I have already taken those honors. Her dad currently has her wrapped up. Be advised – there is one matter that we have to take care of. Kate improvised and told Gold that she had another offer. We're going to have to come up with one."

"Wow," Sarah said. "That is simply brilliant. Why didn't Chuck or you think of that? We need to call Janice and have her work something out."

"Already complete," Elise said. "Chuck just got off the phone with her. She doesn't anticipate any problems. Advise my good friend Alex that there was no physical stuff at all. The whole thing wasn't nearly as bad as we feared. A little banter – that's it. I know that he'll be relieved to hear that."

"I'll wait until we get home," Sarah said. Of course, she knew full well that Alex was listening to the entire exchange on his earpiece. "He's about to bounce off the ceiling as it is. It's making it hard to drive. Just to be extra cautious, we're going to swing by and backup Joe and Sparky. We'll see you at home base in an hour. We'll debrief in the media center. Tell our girl that I'm going to make her a root beer float."

Alex turned to Sarah. "A root beer float?" he asked.

"That was her favorite treat when she was a little girl," Sarah answered with a grin.

Alex felt better than he had ever felt in his life. It was like he could get out and run faster than the car was moving. "A root beer float," he said – more to himself than Sarah. "That's good to know."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate felt – well – fantastic. Not only because her dad was hugging her. Dad was a hugger. He always had been. Mom was always the serious one and Dad was always the emotional one. But tonight was different. Oh, she knew that her parents were proud of her. She absolutely did. And they weren't ever at all hesitant about saying so. They always acknowledged her good grades at school. And they were clearly proud of the work that she had done on Janice's campaign.

It's just that – well, those things were easy. They came natural to her - not like this spy stuff. And she was the only member of the team that had yet to do something spectacular to save the day. Alex, Sparky, and Elise went on that incredible cross country suicide rescue mission. Joe showed up in the nick of time to save Sparky's life – twice. And even Heather came through and saved Sparky from being captured and almost assuredly killed at that bar.

But tonight, it was Kate that had come through. Sure, Elise was talking her through it. But still – she had done it. She even had to admit – it wasn't all that horrible. As a matter of fact, if she hadn't been so worried about Alex, it might have been a little fun.

Elise was absolutely right. The guy was blinded. Whenever she smiled, he simply switched his brain off. It was magical. And this was a trained agent. How could he possibly have allowed himself to be bugged that easily? Kate was almost embarrassed for the guy.

But right now, Kate didn't want to think about that. All she wanted to think about was how good it felt to finally come through for the team – oh, and have Dad holding her.

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean that she's got another offer?" he asked incredulously into the phone. "How could that be?"

"I don't know, sir," Gold said. "I mean, she is incredible. Some other companies must think so too."

"What does she want?' Shaw asked. "More money?"

"No, sir," Gold said. "She wants to meet Mr. Volkoff. She says that it's going to come down to which company she respects more."

"Wow," Shaw said. "That's going to be rough. Although Mr. Volkoff is in the country. I suppose I could mention it to him. After all, he definitely does have a soft spot for beautiful women – and Miss Bartowski certainly qualifies."

"Yes, sir," Gold replied wistfully. "She certainly does."

Shaw laughed. "Speaking of rough," he said sarcastically. "I hope that young Kate is ready for him to be. Mr. Volkoff has a reputation for liking it when they don't give in right away. Maybe she'll learn to be careful what she wishes for."

"Probably," Gold said. "But I don't understand. Why don't we just grab her now? I mean, isn't turning her over to Volkoff a bit much? I've heard horror stories about his seduction techniques."

"You're not falling for her, are you?" Shaw asked with the smile in his voice plain. "No - this is actually a win-win. We do a favor for Mr. Volkoff. And he does a favor for us. I want to see her fall. I want her to think that she is on top of the world – and then have it all come crashing down around her. I want to see the mother and daughter watch each other slowly bleed to death. That's what I want. Any questions?"

"No, sir," Gold said. I'll set something up."

"Good," Shaw said as he ended the call. "I'll talk to you when you get here."

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Sarah did when she got home was to go looking for her daughter. Naturally, Alex was already with her. That was as it should be. She was just kidding about racing him for the first hug. She actually hung back for a long moment as they held each other. It was such a sweet scene. She even flashed back to her and Chuck at that age. Well, not exactly at that age. That hadn't even met each other for like seven more years.

But still – it was a very familiar scene. And Sarah was very happy for – well, for both of them. The honest truth was, even though they might not look like it – they were perfect for each other. It was another thing that they had in common with her and Chuck. Sarah watched the look of pure joy on her daughter's face – and realized how happy she was that Kate would have those extra seven years. The seven years that Sarah so many times wished that she could have back.

It really wasn't that long before Alex saw Sarah standing there and stepped away. He actually stepped away so that a mom could have a moment with her not-so-little girl. That's just the kind of man that he was.

"I just talked to Elise," Sarah whispered as she held Kate tightly. "She told me what a phenomenal job you did tonight. I honestly couldn't be more proud – of both of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Kate said. "I hope that this doesn't sound arrogant or boastful – but I'm proud of me too."

"Well," Sarah said. "It's like the man said. If you can do it – it ain't bragging. You do realize that we still have some work to do? Let's go meet with the team and plan on ending this thing. After all, I believe you have a deal with a pretty amazing guy that you need to uphold."

x-x-x-x-x

Alan Gold only knew one phone number for Kate. And that was her phone at the Senate office. He knew that the office would be closed. So, he left a message.

"Hi, Kate," he said. "This is Alan. I have good news. I was able to set up the meeting with Mr. Volkoff that you asked for. He wants to have dinner with you tomorrow night. As it turns out, he is a huge admirer of yours. If you two hit it off like I know that you will, I seriously doubt that money is going to become an issue. No matter what anybody else is offering, Mr. Volkoff is very used to getting what he wants. One thing, he is a bit of an eccentric. He insists that anybody who meets with him is swept for bugs first. Silly, I know. But please don't be offended. Anyway, I'll plan on picking you up at six – just like tonight. I just know that you're going to have a very exciting evening."

Elise sighed as she picked the transcript off the printer. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

x-x-x-x-x

Janice and Casey were on the screen waiting when Kate walked into the Media Room to begin the conference. Joe made it official by being the last member of the team to hug her and tell her how proud they were. Even Sparky had stepped up and hugged her – although that might have been more for Mom's benefit. After all, she was watching with her typical eagle eye.

Chuck was already in the conference room. Actually, everybody was – except for Elise. Kate wondered why Dad was looking so sad. After all, it had been a great evening – then he passed out the copies of the transcript of the call between Shaw and Gold.

Instantly the joy that had permeated the room vanished. Gone like the air being let out of a balloon.

Sarah tried to get the meeting back on track – and the team thinking about something else. So she turned to Janice on the monitor. "Were you able to get another offer?" she asked.

"Are you kidding?" Janice asked sarcastically. "Companies are jumping all over themselves to get Katie to represent them. All I had to do was hint that she might be interested and it was like throwing blood into shark infested waters. We could easily start a bidding war. I have three offers that I'll fax over as soon as we're done."

Kate was simply stunned. "I can't believe that all these companies would pay so much," she said.

Chuck sighed at his daughter. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said. "I'm not minimizing you or what you've accomplished. I'm so proud watching you work those reporters that I could burst. Those companies would all want you anyway. But imagine having someone on your payroll that refers to the President of The United States as her Aunt Janice. They are assuming that Janice is going to become President. I have to say – I agree with them. You would guarantee that your employer would have instant access. The President would take the call any time that you called her. How many people can say that? That alone over doubles your value."

Just then Elise walked into the room. Chuck decided to try and lighten the room. "It was nice of you to join us," he said. "Did we interrupt your power nap?"

Elise smiled – as much as she could. "I wish," she said. "I could sure use a nap. But I'm afraid that we just received another intercept."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise played the tape of the call for the team. Alex reacted right away. "This guy actually likes you," he said. "You can tell it in his voice. He's jealous that you're having dinner with another man."

Elise reached over and grabbed Alex's arm – and smiled at him. "Well," she said. "Now you and Alan Gold have something in common." She quickly laughed as she saw the look on Alex's face. "I'm just teasing you, Alex," she said. "Alan Gold doesn't like Kate. He likes the flirting sexpot that she is pretending to be. Most men would. He would actually hate Kate if he ever met her – no offense, sweetie."

Kate just grinned. "None taken," she said.

"This is a simply a Greek Tragedy," Janice said. "We were so close. Volkoff is actually willing to meet with her. We could have captured him tomorrow night. Now he's going to get away."

"Why is he going to get away?" Kate asked. "I'll have dinner with him – you can follow me – and grab Volkoff."

"Weren't you listening?" Sarah asked. "He is going to sweep you for bugs. That means we would have no way to listen to what was happening. You would be completely on your own. That would be a ridiculously hard assignment for a top agent in her prime."

"So?" Kate asked. "I think I can handle Volkoff on my own. At least for as long as it's going to take for you to get there."

"No way," Sarah said firmly. "We would have no way to track you. How would we even know where to go? It's just too risky. If they lost our tail, you'd be defenseless. We know where Shaw is hiding. We'll just raid that location tonight and pick him up. That's still a huge victory."

"Mom," Kate pleaded. "Please. We have a chance to do a game changing thing. What about the greater good stuff that we're always talking about? Isn't that why we're doing this? Give me a chance."

Chuck jumped it. "No way," he said. "It's not happening. You haven't seen what I've seen. The guy is an animal. He enjoys hurting women. It's simply too big of a risk."

Of all the people in the room, it was the last one that Sarah expected to defend Kate. "She can do this," Alex said. "Besides, we can track her."

"How," Chuck snapped. "Didn't you hear? They are going to sweep her for bugs."

"They're not going to sweep Alan Gold," Alex replied. "We can track him."

That got everybody's attention. "Okay," Sarah said. "That's true. We know where his cell phone will be. But how do we know that Gold will be in the same place as Kate and Volkoff? This is almost assuredly not going to be someplace public."

Alex sighed. "He will take her to wherever Volkoff is," he said. "He'll wait for her. Did you listen to his voice? I'm sure that Kate can talk him into waiting outside for her to be done. She probably could talk him into waiting while standing on his head."

"Of course," Elise said. "Yes. Kate can get him to wait. She'll have to promise him sex. But she'll never have to pay off. We'll bust them just as soon as we know where Volkoff is. She might have to get a little physical in the car going over there – to convince him."

"Alex," Kate said. "Are you sure that you're okay with this?"

Alex sighed. "Let's finish this," he said. "We need to get on with our lives. As long as Volkoff is out there – you're going to be threatened someday. It's just that we'll never know when. We can end him – tonight. If that means that you have to let some creep think that he has a chance with you for ten minutes – I'll live."

Kate looked at Alex for a long moment – and nodded. "Thank you, sweetie," she said. "I love you."

"I know," Alex said with as much smile as he could manage. "I'm still holding you to our deal."

"I know," Kate said. "If you think that you're looking forward to it half as much as I am – you're just incredibly wrong." Then she turned to the monitor. "Speaking of deals," she said. "Aunt Janice, are you firing me?"

Janice could only look in shock. "Of course not," she said. "Katie, why on earth would you say something like that?"

"We have a deal," Kate said. "I'm going to get to stand on the platform while you take the oath of office – as your Chief of Staff. You promised me. I expect you to keep your promise."

"I know," Janice said softly. "But the money that they are offering - public service simply can't compete with those salaries. Think of your future. Think of Alex."

"I am thinking of my future," Kate said. "And of Alex. We haven't really discussed this – and, Alex, correct me if you think that I'm wrong – but we want to do something that we love – for someone that we love. I'm holding you to our deal. I expect you to keep your promise."

Alex smiled. "Of course you're not wrong," he said. "I was going to have this very discussion with you tonight. We have a chance to make history. How can money possibly compete with that?"

Janice didn't cry easily. And she didn't exactly cry. But she was clearly fighting it. "Okay guys," she said. Her voice was barely over a whisper. "I'll keep my promise. I'm nothing if not trustworthy."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the meeting was over Kate almost literally dragged Alex into the safe room. "I'm very sorry that I put you on the spot in there," she said. "That wasn't fair. You deserve some input. After all, this is millions of dollars that we're talking about."

"Not really," Alex said. "It's not money that we're talking about - not at all. It's what makes us happy that we're talking about. And if being Senator Casey's Chief of Staff makes you happy, well, that's good enough for me."

"That's sweet," Kate whispered. "But what about what makes you happy? You deserve to be happy too."

Alex chuckled. "You're joking, right?" he asked. "Trust me, Katie. If I'm with you, I'll be happy. I really don't care if we work at Taco Bell. All I can think about is driving to Vegas and saying our vows."

Kate had to blink back the tears – and didn't totally succeed. "You've been incredible," she whispered. "Alex, I just need you to know that I couldn't do this without you. And if I have to end up doing anything physical tomorrow – I'm going to get through it by pretending he is you."

Alex took Kate into his arms. "I know," he said. "You can't worry about me. You just need to do whatever it takes to be safe. Promise me that you'll do that."

Kate nodded. "I promise," she said. "I need you to promise me something too."

"What's that?" Alex asked with a smile.

"Promise me that we won't have to work at Taco Bell."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise and Sarah took Kate off for some last minute instructions. After all, she was going to be on her own with Gold for the first time.

"I didn't want to say this in front of Alex," Sarah said. "But you can't take any chances tonight. Gold has to completely believe that he is going to get lucky if he waits for you. He has to be burning in anticipation. A locomotive can't be able to drag him from that spot. That means you're going to have to get pretty physical with him in the car."

"I know," Kate said. "How far do you think?"

"You're going to have to make out with him," Sarah said. "And if he is like every other man in the world, his hand is going to be inside your shirt at some point. That's something that only you will know. There never will be a need to tell Alex."

Kate nodded. "I was assuming that," she said. "Okay, so Gold gets to second base. But I'm not keeping anything from Alex. He doesn't deserve to be lied too. Besides – I don't need too. He can handle it. He's amazing, isn't he?"

Sarah smiled. "He really, really is," she said.

"There is one other thing," Elise said. "In case something goes wrong – your dad is right about Volkoff. He's an animal. I've been with men like that. They want you to resist them – so that they can hurt you. So you're going to have to fight him. Let's go down to the gym and work on a couple of fight moves."

"I'm not going to fight him," Kate said. "I couldn't win. Besides, it won't be necessary."

Elise just smiled. "Why?" she asked.

"Because," Kate said matter of factly. "If it comes to that – I won't resist him."

x-x-x-x-x


	39. And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Kate decides that this spy stuff is easy – or is it? What happens when the bad guys don't do as you expect? After all, bad guys have their own agendas too._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon**

x-x-x-x-x

"_Happy birthday, sweetie," Sarah said. "Do you know how old you are today?"_

_"Of course," little Katie said with the indignant pout that only a four-year-old could pull off. "I'm four."_

"_That's right. And do you remember the nursery rhyme that we learned yesterday?" Sarah asked with a grin._

"_Of course," Katie said, still with her indignant pout._

_Hey diddle diddle,_

_The cat and the fiddle,_

_The cow jumped over the moon._

_The little dog laughed_

_To see such sport,_

_And the dish ran away with the spoon_

"_Very good," Sarah said with a laugh. "You remembered it. You're so smart."_

"_Mommy," Katie said. "What does that even mean?"_

_Sarah couldn't help but smile at her daughter. Even at four, she was always the serious one. "Mean?" she asked._

"_Yeah," Katie said. "How can the dish run away with the spoon? They don't have legs."_

x-x-x-x-x

Kate told herself that she was doing the right thing – for Mom and Dad – for Aunt Janice – for the country – but most of all, for Alex. So she smiled at him – just like Elise had taught her. It was a little strange to not have Elise talking in her ear. But she was very confident. After all, it was still clearly true. When she smiled, he forgot his own name.

"You're looking very beautiful tonight," Gold said. "But why should I be surprised? You always do."

"Thanks," Kate said as she slid a little closer to him on the seat. "You're looking as handsome as always too."

"Are you nervous?" Gold asked. "This is a big opportunity for you. It's not every day that you get to negotiate with one of the richest men in the world."

Kate paused for a moment. "A little," she said softly. Actually she should have been nervous. She sure thought that she would be. But the honest truth was – she wasn't. And she wasn't even sure why. Maybe it was because she was so prepared. "He's an incredibly powerful man. What does he look like?"

"I've never met him," Gold said. "Almost nobody has. Mr. Volkoff is somewhat of a recluse. He jealously protects his privacy. He has a private secretary who is the only one who ever sees him. I think that you might be the first American who has actually ever seen his face."

"Then why is he agreeing to meet with me?" Kate asked. "That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?"

Gold paused – for a long moment. He was clearly weighing how much to say. "He has a reputation for loving beautiful women," he finally said. "You certainly qualify."

Kate knew that it was time to make her move – so she held her nose and snuggled into him. "Thank you," she said. "That was sweet. Alan, will you be honest with me for a second? I really need your advice. Please tell me the brutal truth. Is Mr. Volkoff expecting sex from me tonight? He is, isn't he?"

Gold sighed. "Yes," he finally said. "Of course, I'm not positive. But I would assume so. We're talking about a lot of money. I suspect that he will want to gauge your level of commitment. After all, you are very beautiful – and he is used to getting what he wants."

Kate grinned at him. Maybe Alex was right. After all, he usually was. "Why, Alan," she said. "Are you actually jealous?"

Gold didn't answer – with words. But the redness in his face was clear. So when he leaned in to kiss her, Kate met him more than half way. Quickly they were in the middle of a very passionate kiss. Kate knew that she had to sell it, so she put her hand behind his head and held his face to hers for a long moment. He quickly opened his mouth. That didn't surprise her, she knew that he would.

There was one serious problem that Kate hadn't anticipated. Pretending that Gold was Alex really wasn't working that well. For one thing, Gold wasn't Alex - he was much rougher and demanding. He was actually biting her lip. His hand had already slid down the front of her blouse and into her bra. And the angle that he had wasn't the best. Alex would have never done anything like that so roughly. He was always more gentle and loving. Even Paul wouldn't have been quite this crude. It was the first time in her life that Kate had been treated like this.

Kate expected the make-out part to be gross – and it was. But actually, it was more pathetic. He was clearly getting massively turned on. She really didn't know if she should hate him – or feel sorry for him. But this is what she knew she had to do, so… "You're going to rip my blouse," she whispered.

Gold looked guilty – for a moment – and withdrew his hand.

Kate just smiled at him. "Let me fix that," she said as she slowly and as seductively as she could, unbuttoned her blouse and allowed it to slip off her shoulders.

Gold could only stare at her in admiration – for a long moment.

Kate just smiled again. "Where were we?" she whispered.

x-x-x-x-x

To say that Sarah was tense, well that didn't really come close. The fire in her eyes made even Chuck take a step back. She had made some changes in the teams for tonight. Sarah was prepared to take absolutely no chances. The stakes were much too high. Kate's life was on the line. So she wanted an experienced agent in each group.

She put Heather with Chuck. Her reasoning was that Chuck didn't like guns – and Heather was clearly the best shot of the kids. And the honest truth was that they had developed sort of a bond. It had gotten to the point where they openly teased each other. Heather was exactly the type of person that Chuck admired. She was smart – but not boastful. Witty but never mean. In short, she was very similar to Chuck's best friends – Janice – and Elise. And of course, it didn't hurt that Heather had put Casey in his place the other night. That was always a plus in his book.

Sarah teamed Elise with Chuck Junior and Alex. For one thing, it was a team that had delivered in the past. Sarah knew that both young men trusted and respected Elise. They would follow her orders without question. And Elise knew the guys strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, she knew her own. They were going to stay in the van and monitor comm. They would only be deployed if circumstances warranted.

That left Joe and Sarah. And frankly, both worked better alone anyway. They tag-teamed tailing the limo. It was quite easy. They clearly were making no attempt to lose anybody. It wasn't half way into the trip before it became obvious where they were headed.

"It looks like their destination is The Grand Ambassador," Elise said.

"I copy," Sarah said as she took a quick right – and stomped on the gas. "I'm going to get ahead and see if I can get inside and be waiting for them. Let me know the second it appears their destination has changed."

x-x-x-x-x

Okay, so Kate knew that she was doing the right thing. But it was getting more and more tiresome. She was having an increasingly hard time keeping Gold's hands north of her waist. The make-out session was only into its third or fourth minute – and yet he was getting more and more aggressive. Pretending that this creep was Alex was totally out the window now. It was a stupid idea anyway. There was only one Alex. Kate felt ashamed that she ever thought she could pretend this ass was her incredible guy. She could feel the rage quickly building inside of her as Gold crudely lifted her bra out of the way and roughly pawed her now bare chest. It was only a short matter of time before she hit him. So she knew that she needed to change tactics. "How much time do we have?" she whispered as soon as she could pry her mouth free from his.

"Not very much," Gold panted. "We're here. He is expecting you. We'll have to be quick."

Kate was not really surprised – more like disgusted. This guy actually expected her to screw him right here in the limo – just before going upstairs and screwing his boss. Fortunately his news was exactly what Kate wanted to hear. "Alan," she said. "Please don't make our first time a quickie. I want this as much as you do. If you'll wait here for me – I promise that I'll make it worth the wait."

Gold seemed to consider this – for a long moment. "Are you sure that you still want to do this?" he asked softly. "We can always tell him that you changed your mind. Then maybe we could go somewhere. Maybe we could really spend some quality time."

Now Kate was surprised – for the first time tonight. So much so that she had a hard time keeping it from her face. Was this guy kidding? He was suggesting that she blow Volkoff off. How would he ever explain that to Shaw? He was clearly violating his orders. He was also clearly jealous. But what did that mean? Why would he do that? Well, if he was going to assume that she was a slut, she might as well not disappoint him. "Come on, Alan," Kate said with a smile. "You can't seriously be jealous. It's very cute – but the man is going to give me upwards of twenty million dollars tonight. I have to go for it. For that kind of money he deserves his little fantasy, right? It's just sex. We both know that it doesn't mean a thing. I'll make it quick for him and then we'll be together for the rest of the night."

"Fine," Gold finally sighed. "You're right. You have to go. It's just sex. I'll get us a room."

Kate looked out of the window for the first time as she tried to put her bra back in place and button up her blouse. She quickly recognized the hotel. "The Grand Ambassador," she said with a smile. "That's impressive."

"You've stayed here?" Gold asked. "It's very nice."

"No," Kate replied with a smile. "It's a little outside my price range. But I've lived in L.A. my whole life. It's a semi-famous landmark."

"After tonight, it's not going to be outside of your price range," Gold said. "Here is what you need to do. Go into the hotel and take the elevator to the penthouse. Mr. Volkoff's guards will sweep you for bugs – and take you in to see him."

"You'll be waiting for me?" Kate asked expectantly.

"Yes," Gold said. "I'll get us a room and leave you a key at the front desk."

"Good," Kate said as she kissed him. "Get some champagne. I'll be in the mood to celebrate." Actually, champagne didn't sound all that bad. Anything to get the taste of that make-out session out of her mouth.

A look came over Gold's face that Kate couldn't quite read. It was half longing – but half resolve. "Take this bottle," he said as he handed Kate a bottle of wine. "This is Mr. Volkoff's favorite vintage. Tell him that you want to toast your new relationship with him. He'll like that."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate walked into the hotel lobby and looked for the elevators. She got into the first one and pushed the button for the Penthouse. There was only one other person in the car – a hotel worker. Kate had to do a double take to realize that it was Mom.

"Where are you headed?" Sarah asked quickly. "Is everything going according to plan?"

"The Penthouse," Kate answered. "He has guards. I don't know how many. Gold is going to get a room and wait for me. I'm fine. It was a little more intense than I had hoped. I'll live."

"Look at your watch," Sarah said. "From my mark, wait exactly twenty minutes for us to get in position, excuse yourself, and lock yourself in the bathroom. Get in the tub and keep your head down. Don't come out for any reason until I call you. Mark."

Elise clicked the timer in the van. "Rodger," she said. "Twenty minutes starts now."

Kate smiled at her mom – mostly to let her know that she understood. But also to show her that she wasn't afraid. "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon," she said.

Sarah knew that this was not the time to get emotional. After all they were in the middle of a life-or-death mission. But it had been a while. That had always been their special greeting to each other when Katie was a little girl. They said it to each other all the time – until Katie finally got to the age where it was no longer cool. So it had been about ten years. But Sarah grinned and nodded – and gave the correct response. "The little dog laughed to see such sport, and the dish ran away with the spoon."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah got off the elevator one floor before the Penthouse. So Kate was alone when the doors opened. Just like Gold told her, there were five armed guards waiting as soon as she stepped off the elevator. They clearly expected her. They were actually very respectful, almost friendly. But they did sweep her for electronics – and gently frisk her for weapons.

When Kate opened the door and stepped inside, she suddenly realized that she didn't have a clue what to do. All of her thoughts had been on how to get to this point. Now that she was here – not so much. She saw a man who looked about the same age as her Uncle Casey – maybe a couple of years older. It was really hard to say. He really wasn't anything like Kate was expecting – if she had a clue what to expect. He actually looked like a mild mannered grandfather type.

All Kate could think of was to play it straight up. So she walked up to him and extended her hand with a smile. "Mr. Volkoff," she said. "My name is Kate Bartowski. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

Well, the illusion of him being a grandfatherly figure popped like a balloon. Not only did he ignore her extended hand, he was clearly checking her out – from head to toe and back again – as overtly as she had ever been ogled in her whole life. He was currently staring directly at her chest – just like so many other men. Of course, he didn't know what a hot button that was for young Kate. And under the circumstances, she didn't feel it was appropriate to tell him. But she could feel the dislike building in her stomach.

"You'll do," he finally said approvingly. His Russian accent was clearly noticeable. "Did you bring wine?"

Kate actually had to take a second to realize that he had asked her a question. She had frankly forgotten all about the wine she was holding. "Yes, sir," she said. "I understand that this is your favorite wine. I would like to offer you a toast to begin our business relationship - and perhaps our friendship."

Volkoff nodded. "I guess that we could have a drink first," he said. 'Before we – begin."

Kate could feel the blush rushing up her neck. She could only smile in amazement at his brazenness. _First? Begin?_ Horny Grandpa from hell was clearly confident that he was about to get laid. Thank goodness that this was almost over. There was one thing for sure – even if the offer had been legitimate, Kate was never going to represent this creep – not for a hundred million. All she had to do now was to stay dressed for sixteen more minutes and wait for Mom to show up and shoot this jerk. That shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Maybe a glass of wine would help. At the very least, it would waste some time. "Yes, sir," she said. "That would be lovely."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah quickly made her attack plan. She, Joe, and Chuck would all go to the floor just below the Penthouse suite in separate elevators. Heather would stick with Chuck. Her main purpose would be in case any medical attention was required. They would all allow the doors to close at the same time. That would put them at the Penthouse at exactly the same instant. The idea was to surprise and tranq whatever guards there were as quickly and quietly as possible.

Chuck had been able to access the building floor plan from the intersect. So they knew where the main room where Volkoff was most likely to be was. It was just down the hall from the elevators. Hopefully, Kate would be safe in the bathtub as they came in ready to shoot to kill.

Sarah stared at her watch waiting for the twenty minutes to be up. Every second seemed like fifty. But finally it was time.

The plan worked like a charm. The elevator doors opened at exactly the same time. The only problem was, when Sarah jumped out of her elevator, the five guards were all lying on the floor. Tranq darts were already sticking out of each one. This couldn't be right. Who would do this?

Joe immediately went to the suite door and kicked it in. The team rushed into the room. An older man, who they assumed was Volkoff, was lying on the floor unconscious with a spilled glass of wine lying next to him.

It didn't take long to search the suite – and then the other rooms. As Chuck and Sarah stared at each other in horror - it was quickly obvious.

There was no sign of Kate.

x-x-x-x-x


	40. A Shot at the Title

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Where is Kate? Let's see who finally figures it out. And why is Sarah so mad at Alex?_

_My son is getting married Saturday. No, his name is not Alex, lol. So the next update probably won't be until Monday. Hopefully, it will be much anticipated, lol._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**A Shot at the Title**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah could only look at each other in horror for a long moment. But then Sarah sprung into action. She knew that this was not the time for panic – so she pushed it down deep where all her emotions went on a mission and pressed on. "Elise," she said. "Kate is not here. Someone has her. Deploy the guys to watch the exits. If they get her out of the hotel…" Sarah couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. If whoever had Kate was able to get her out of the hotel without being caught – they would never see her again - at least not alive. And Sarah would have to spend the rest of her life imagining the horror of what her last few hours of life were like.

When Sarah looked around, the team had already sprung into action. Chuck was looking at the man on the floor. "Is that him?" she asked.

Chuck just nodded. Then he went to help Joe who was securing the unconscious guards.

Heather was already examining Volkoff. "He is semi-conscious," she said. "His vitals are okay. It looks like he's been drugged. I think that he'll come around in a few minutes."

Sarah bent down and secured the man's hands behind his back. "Is there anything you can do to speed that up?" she asked. "I'd really like to have a little chat with him. He must know something."

"I could give him some adrenalin," Heather said. "That will get him to recover a lot quicker. It might not be the best for his heart. He's not a young man."

"Do it," Sarah said quickly. "I don't give a damn about his heart." Then she turned to Chuck and Joe. "Tear this floor apart," she said. "Let's make sure that Kate is not still here someplace. Check every closet and under every bed."

x-x-x-x-x

Kate had a hard time remembering where she was. All she knew was that her head was spinning. Oh, and she couldn't feel her arms or legs. For a while, she thought that she was dreaming. Finally she was able to pry her eyes open enough to realize that someone was carrying her. They were just going into what looked like a hotel room.

He must have sensed that she had opened her eyes - because he spoke to her as he sat her relatively gently on the sofa. "Relax," Gold said. "You're going to be fine. The drug just paralyzes you for an hour or so. Don't try and fight it."

Kate tried to talk to him. She just couldn't make any words come out – or even get her mouth to open.

"Stop trying to fight it," Gold said a little more insistently. "It's just going to make your head hurt more. Kate, I know that you're scared. I just didn't know of any other way. I couldn't let Volkoff have you. Not knowing what he does to women. And you were right. If you didn't show up tonight, he would have just eventually hunted you down. He takes what he wants. This way, he'll wake up and you'll just be gone. None of the guards saw my face. He'll assume that an enemy of yours captured you. Since you don't know anything, he won't be worried about you talking. He won't look that hard for you. We can be together. I'll have to keep up some appearances for a while… but I have a survival place in the mountains. We'll be fine. We'll be more than fine – we're the perfect couple."

Kate suddenly realized in horror what was going on here. Gold was more than just a little jealous. He was completely insane. She tried desperately to speak – or even to shake her head. But her body simply wouldn't respond.

"Look," Gold said. "I know that we just met yesterday. I know that you don't love me – not yet anyway. But I'm sure that you will learn soon. I'm going to have to keep you drugged for a while. How long depends on you. Hopefully, we can taper it off soon – as soon as you learn to be obedient. I have big plans for us. Trust me, Kate. Pretty soon you'll love your new life."

Kate's mind was racing as she tried to figure out something to do. Then she saw it out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't turn her head, or even shift her eyes – but that was definitely her blouse that was lying on the arm of the sofa next to her. She hadn't felt him take it off but that meant… Then she watched in shocked horror as she saw him set her bra next to it.

"You are so amazingly beautiful," Gold said. "I can't wait to see how beautiful our children are going to be. Of course, you were right earlier in the car. It's going to be much better to take our time. We're going to have to wait here for a couple of days until Volkoff's people stop looking for us. But don't worry. I already know how we're going to be spending most of our time. I have so much to teach you."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise knew right away that the situation was critical. The van was parked in the hotel parking lot. From her vantage point she had a good view of the North and East entrances – especially aided by the cameras in the van. "Alex," she said. "Go to the rear exit and stand guard. Sparky, go to the other side. Quickly guys. We can't let anyone get Kate out of this hotel."

The guys jumped out of the van and ran as quickly as they could.

The first thing that Elise could think of was Shaw. So she checked the location of his cell phone. It was still at the safe house. At least his phone was still there.

Clearly, Sarah was thinking along the same lines. "Check Shaw's position," she said.

"Already done," Elise answered. "He is holding steady at the safe house. Should I call and see if he answers?"

"Not yet," Sarah said. "Let's give it ten minutes to finish searching the floor – and see if anybody tries to get her out of the building."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex's heart was standing still. This couldn't be happening. Of course, he knew instantly what the situation was. Somebody had Kate. And if they got away with her, he would never see her again. Not only that, she would die a horrible, degrading, inhumane death. He was as close to panic as he had ever been in his whole life. So he literally forced himself to calm down. After all, he couldn't help Kate if he panicked.

Where could she possibly be? All signs pointed to Shaw. But why would Shaw pick this time to attack? That didn't make any sense. He already knew that Kate was meeting with Volkoff. And from the transcripts of their intercepted calls, they would never drug Volkoff. They were clearly afraid of him. That sounded like suicide. But poor Alex was stumped. Who else would take Kate and leave one of the richest men in the world behind? What would they possibly want with Kate?

Then it hit him. Of course. So he ran to the front desk. "Gold," he called into his wire. "Gold has her. I'm going to find out his room number."

"Alex," Elise said. "Do not leave your position. If they get Kate past us, we'll never find her."

Alex was sure – so sure that he was willing to tell Elise a white lie. "I can see the exit from the lobby," he said as he walked up to the front desk. A clerk was sitting reading a magazine. She was clearly bored. "Excuse me," he said in a hurried tone. "I need the room number for an Alan Gold."

"I'm sorry, sir," the clerk said. "We can't give out that information."

"I'm an undercover Federal Agent," Alex said. "This is an urgent national security situation. Give me the room number."

The clerk just smiled. "Of course you are," she said. "We must get three undercover Federal Agents a day in here. Do you have a warrant?"

A few weeks ago, and under other circumstances, Alex would have been impressed that such a pretty girl was so overtly flirting with him. But tonight he was done messing around. After all, who knew what he was doing to Kate this very instant. So he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the clerk's head. "Lives are in imminent danger," he said. "Including yours if I don't get a fucking room number in like two seconds."

Well, that got her attention. "I'm sorry, sir," she said as she sat up and immediately browsed her computer. "I don't have an Alan Gold registered."

"Damn," Alex said as he slammed his hand on the counter. But then he thought about it for a second. If he was double crossing Volkoff… "He must have used another name. He would have checked in the past half hour. Tall man, boyish looks…"

"Very incredibly attractive?" the clerk asked. "Big dimple when he smiles."

"I guess," Alex replied as he secured his weapon. "He doesn't do anything for me. But I can see how women would find him attractive. I'll tell you what. Help me catch him and I'll give him your phone number."

"Mr. Silver," the clerk replied. "Room eight-forty-six. He just ordered a bottle of champagne from room service five minutes ago."

"Gold - Silver," Alex said, more to himself than the clerk. "Cute. That must be him. Give me a key for that room. And thank you for your help. You might have just saved a life. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I pointed my weapon at you."

"I'll tell you what," the clerk replied with a sly smile. "If you catch him, forget giving him my number. I'll just take yours."

It didn't even register to Alex what he just agreed to. He grabbed the key and ran for the elevator. "Elise," he called. "Gold is in room eight-forty-six. He just ordered champagne and two glasses from room service. He must have her. I'm going up there now. Get me some backup."

x-x-x-x-x

The good news was that Kate was actually starting to get some of her feeling back. The bad news was that all she could feel was Gold's tongue inside of her mouth. That was enough to make her long for five minutes ago when she couldn't feel anything. But she still had no hope of resisting him. She still couldn't feel anything below her neck. At least, her skirt hadn't joined the rest of her clothes on the back of the couch yet – so she still had some hope that she wasn't completely naked. She tried to talk but she still couldn't get any words to form – especially since her mouth was otherwise occupied. All that she could manage was a low moan.

Naturally, Gold misinterpreted her moan. "I know, baby," he said. "Don't worry. I'll wait until you can feel it a little too. After all, it's not fair that I have all of the fun. It should only be a few more minutes." He showed Kate a syringe - and sat it on the end table. "Aren't you the lucky one," he said with a grin. "You get to feel good two ways. That's okay. You can owe me one."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise was in a quandary. She really didn't know what to do. Alex was on his way up to Gold's room. She knew that there would be no sense in trying to reason with him. If he thought that Kate was in that room – and in danger – he would run in there no matter how dangerous. But she also didn't want to leave the entrances unguarded. Finally she made her decision. Alex's instincts were good. Let's see how good. "Sparky," she said. "Alex is on his way to room eight-forty-six. We're pretty sure that's Gold's room. There is a strong possibility that Kate is in there with him. Get up there and back him up."

Then she pressed the button that would let her talk to Sarah. "We think that Kate is in room eight-forty-six," she said. "Gold is there. We think that he might have Kate with him. Alex and Sparky are in route."

Sarah responded immediately. "I copy," she said. "Have them wait for me to get there before they attempt to assault the room."

"Sorry, Sarah," Elise said. "I'll try… but Alex is in the lead. You know that there is no way to get him to wait if he thinks that Kate is in danger."

"Damn it, Alex," Sarah muttered, more to herself than Elise. "You are going to get yourself hurt." Then she turned to the team who was still searching the floor. "Heather," she barked. "Come with me right now. Chuck, Joe - Heather and I are following a lead. We'll be right back."

x-x-x-x-x

When Alex finally got to the room he was a little out of breath. Okay, who was he kidding? After all, he had just climbed eight floors worth of stairs in about a minute. He probably should have waited for the elevator. He was completely out of breath. So now what should he do? He could use the key that the hotel clerk had given him. But what if Gold had the privacy lock on? All that would do is to tip him off that he was coming. But then he remembered what the clerk had said to him. So Alex just knocked on the door. "Room service," he called.

When Gold opened the door, Alex used surprise to push his way into the room. Unfortunately, Gold pushed back and when he did Alex's gun went flying. The good news was that he had found Kate. The bad news was that she was sitting on the sofa pretty much naked. Oh, and now he was in a fight to the death with a trained agent who was seventy pounds heavier than he was. Not to mention the fact that he was clearly insane.

Alex's rage and pure surprise helped him stay competitive in the fight – for a few seconds. But quickly pure physics took over. Gold was simply too big and too strong for him. Poor Alex was soon taking another beating. This one was the worst of all. He had just taken several hard punches to the midsection – and one to his jaw. Then Gold spotted the gun on the floor. Things would have gone really badly for Alex if Sarah and Heather hadn't picked that instant to run into the room. A single kick to Gold's midsection from Sarah quickly convinced him that it was in his best interest to surrender. She immediately put the cuffs on him.

Heather went directly to Alex who was lying on the floor bleeding and struggling to get to his feet. He was clearly woozy. He tried to get up a couple of times but fell back to the floor. "Stay down," she said. "Let me take a look at you." Naturally, he resisted being treated. It wouldn't have been Alex any other way.

"I'm fine," Alex groaned. "Go help Kate."

Sarah had seen enough. "Okay, Alex," she said. "Kate is going to be fine as soon as the drug wears off – assuming we can find her clothes anyway. You, on the other hand, are clearly not fine. So Heather is going to help you – you're going to let her – and I don't want to hear another damn word about it from you. You got that?"

Alex had never heard Sarah talk that way before – at least not to him. So he just nodded.

Naturally adding to the confusion was that fact that Sparky picked that exact moment to walk in the door. His eyes widened as he surveyed the scene. When he realized the half clothed state that his sister was in, he immediately launched himself into Gold and started swinging. Since Gold was fairly defenseless with his hands secured behind his back, Sparky got some really good shots in. Soon, it was Gold who wasn't sure where he was. It took Sarah and Heather to finally pull him off.

Finally, Sarah was able to find the time to help Kate put her bra and blouse back on. Heather determined that Alex probably didn't have anything broken. Just some more bruises. But his body was pretty much all black and blue already anyway. So they just helped him up and sat him on the sofa next to Kate. They leaned them against each other, although Kate clearly wasn't aware that he was there.

Heather looked at Kate. "Her vitals are great," she said. "She is slowing gaining more motor functions. I really don't want to give her any adrenalin." Then she turned to Kate. "Katie, sweetie, can you try and talk to me? How do you feel?"

"Numb," Kate was finally able to say. "I feel numb. But it's getting better. How is Alex?"

"Alex is fine," Heather said. "He's sitting right next to you holding you. You'll be able to feel him in just a few minutes. Don't worry. It's all over."

It wasn't until she saw Kate smile that Sarah, at long last, was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. So she talked to Elise. "We have Gold in custody," she said. "Kate is safe. Please let Chuck and Joe know. And let's get a cleanup team here."

"Thank God," Elise said. "I'll tell the guys. They are frantic. The cleanup team is just pulling up right now. I'll send then to the Penthouse."

Alex picked up the syringe from the end table. "What in the hell is this?" he all but shouted.

Heather looked at it. "There is no way to be positive without a lab analysis," she said. "But my guess would be heroin. He was going to keep her doped up."

Alex went to launch himself into Gold again. But it was actually Sparky who stopped him. "Don't worry, buddy," he said as he gently guided Alex back to his seat next to his sister. "Katie is safe – thanks to you."

x-x-x-x-x

As it turned out, Kate was actually quickly in better shape than Alex was. The drug had mostly worn off. She was able to speak normally – and even move her arms. Heather promised that in an very few minutes she would be able to walk. But actually, Kate wasn't in any hurry anyway. Because it felt so good to snuggle into Alex. "Sweetie," she whispered. "You saved me – again."

Alex knew that it was actually Kate who was the real hero this time – and he said so. There really wasn't much room for debate. As it turned out, they were both right. Even though it hurt, that wasn't enough reason to not hold her tight.

It wasn't very long before Chuck walked into the room with Joe and Elise. Primarily to see Kate but also with some news. He walked right over to Alex. "Son," he said with a grin. "This is getting a little north of ridiculous. You can marry her – okay? I was just teasing about the heroic stuff. You're going to get yourself killed." Then he stepped over to where Sarah was standing. "We know what The Ring's plan was," he whispered to her. "It was a lot bigger than just a coup. It involved nuclear weapons. But now we have Volkoff. This is all over."

"Not yet," Sarah said. "There is one thing left to do. Let's finish this. Let's go raid that house."

"Mom," Alex said. "I know that you're kind of pissed at me right now. But Shaw will never give up. If we raid a house where he is in a defensive position, a lot of people will get hurt."

"You're damn right I'm pissed at you," Sarah said. "Alex, do you have a clue how much I love you? How much everybody in this room loves you? And what it would do to us to lose you? You just can't keep throwing your body into these situations. I would have been here in one more minute. You should have waited."

Surprisingly, it was Sparky that came to Alex's defense. "You wouldn't have waited," he said softly. "Admit it. Tell me that you would have waited for help for a whole minute knowing that a bad guy had Kate in her. No way. Everybody knows it."

Pure surprise caused Sarah's head to snap up – but she didn't respond.

"And," Sparky continued. "In Alex's defense, he is the one who figured out where Kate was and who had her. None of us would have - at least not before some really bad stuff would have happened to Katie by that creep."

Sarah didn't change the expression on her face. But the truth was that she was impressed. Let's see how far he would go. "Young man," she said. "Do you have a clue who you're talking too?"

But Sparky didn't blink. "Yes, ma'am," he said calmly. "I'm talking to the person who taught me that there are things worth sacrificing for in order to protect. Alex is one of those things to me."

Sarah was wrong just a second ago. Now she was impressed. She also couldn't keep the stern look on her face. "Okay, sweetie," she said as she started laughing. "You win. You're absolutely right. Alex is one of those things to all of us. Alex, I'm not mad at you. I'm just trying to protect you. What is your idea?"

"It's pretty simple," Alex said. "We have a man who can talk Shaw into coming to us – on our terms." He looked at Gold.

"Screw you," Gold said. "I'll never help you."

"Wanna bet?" Alex said as he picked up a lighter from the end table – and lit it. "I'm not in a real good mood. Not only is my future mother-in-law so pissed that she won't even look at me, every single piece of my body is throbbing. Too say that you're not my favorite person is a ridiculous understatement. You tried to take away my reason for living tonight. When I came in she was pretty much naked and you were getting ready to drug her up – and who knows what else. So, actually, I would sort of enjoy watching you suffer. I'll bet that she would too. So please, by all means, hold out for as long as you can. I understand that my gorgeous fiancé made you pretty hot in the car tonight." Alex then leaned over to show Gold the lighter. "I'll bet that I can make you even hotter."

Sarah had to fight to keep the grin from her face. Even she wasn't sure how far Alex would go. If he was bluffing, he was doing a damn good job of it. Gold clearly thought so too. Because his face showed that he had already caved.

x-x-x-x-x

Shaw was expecting a call from Gold to let him know how the meeting went. He was a little surprised that it happened so early. But not all that much. After all, Volkoff had a reputation for getting right to it. And besides, Shaw was very interested in hearing how much of a fight young Kate was able to put up. Hopefully she was still conscious. He would very much like to have his own 'chat' with her – assuming that Volkoff wasn't expecting seconds.

"Mr. Volkoff's private secretary just called," Gold said. "He wants to see us right away."

Shaw was stunned. "Why?" he asked. "He never wants to see anybody."

"I'm not sure," Gold said. "My assumption is that he had a really good time tonight. Maybe he wants to thank us."

"Okay," Shaw said. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"I'm in the limo in the parking lot," Gold said. "We can go up together."

Shaw had no trouble spotting the limo. He walked up to it and opened the door.

"Hello, Daniel," Sarah said with a smile. "It's a nice car. Very comfortable. I'm happy that you could join us."

When Shaw looked around, all he could see was guns pointed at him. So he did the only thing that he could – he raised his hands in surrender.

Sarah stepped out of the car – with a grim grin on her face. Sarah wasn't ever big on movies. It simply wasn't her thing. But there was one oldie that she sort of enjoyed. Chuck always teased her that she just had the hots for Mel Gibson. And Sarah had to admit – he was the type of man that she once would have been very attracted too. Chuck and the kids made her watch it over and over again. So much so that they all sort of had it memorized. They had actually just watched it again before they left for their mission a few weeks ago. So there was a scene in Lethal Weapon that she currently couldn't get out of her head.

"Let's face it," Sarah said to Shaw. "We don't like each other much." The understatement was absurd. "It seems tragic that you've waited twenty-five years for revenge, only to fail at the last moment. I think that might be the saddest thing I've ever heard. And, to be honest, I would also like my own shot at you. So I have a proposition for you. You and me – one-on-one. Right here in the parking lot. I think that you're all talk. Let's see how bad ass you really are."

Shaw just grinned. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course," Sarah said. "Do I look serious? What do you say, Daniel? Would you like a shot at the title?"

To Shaw's credit, he had clearly seen the movie. So he offered the correct response.

"Don't mind if I do."

x-x-x-x-x


	41. All Talk

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_I've been promising you for quite a while that we would see Shaw get his ass kicked – it's time to pay off._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**All Talk**

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky walked up to Sarah. "Mom," he said. "Please don't do this." The pleading in his voice was clear. "There is no need. You have nothing to prove – to anybody. Why give him a chance to hurt you? This is over. Let's just take him in and get on with our lives."

"Sorry, sweetie," Sarah said with a soft smile. "I know that this might make me sound like a hypocrite after my speech to Alex upstairs an hour ago. But this is between him and me. The son of a bitch threatened my family. You know all about that. What you don't know is that he tried to get between your dad and me. He tried to make your dad think that he and I were having an affair. Nobody does that and gets away with it. This is just something I have to do."

"But, Mom," Sparky insisted. "How can you win? He is going to hurt you. Just look at the numbers. He's six-two. He must have a hundred pounds on you."

Sarah's soft smile broadened into a grin as she unbuttoned her blouse. When she took it off, she was left wearing a blue sports bra. Clearly she had dressed for this possibility. "You're really trying to get on my bad side tonight, aren't you, sweetie?" she asked. "He has at least a hundred and fifty pounds on me. Are you trying to say that I'm fat?" Sarah laughed as she looked at the look on Sparky's face. "Come on, I'm just teasing you. Besides," she said. "Hasn't Heather given you the size-doesn't-matter speech yet?"

"Actually, Mom," Heather said with a grin of her own. "I don't think that Sparky and I are ever going to need to have that particular discussion."

"To much information," Sarah said to Heather with a grin as she held out her blouse. "I could have gone a long time without knowing that particular detail. Don't worry, Sparky – I'll be fine. If you want to be productive, hold my shirt until I'm done." Then she turned to Elise. "Call for an ambulance," she said. "The patient is a six foot two white male. He is suffering from multiple contusions, several broken ribs, a severe concussion, a broken arm – oh and a crushed ego."

Just as Sarah turned to face Shaw, Chuck grabbed her arm. "I understand why you're doing this," he said softly. "Okay, I appreciate the thought – but you know that I'm not ever going to let him hurt you."

"I know," Sarah said with a smile. "I seriously don't think it's going to come to that."

"Good," Chuck said. "In that case – kick his ass."

x-x-x-x-x

It was an odd event – to say the least. For one thing, Shaw was the nation's most wanted fugitive. Once they realized that he was there, enough FBI agents gathered in that parking lot to invade a small country. They had the immediate scene so lit with spotlights that it looked almost like a sporting event. One of the local television stations was lucky enough to pick up on the radio chatter and had a chopper in the area. It was currently overhead clearly broadcasting live. The FBI agent in charge stormed up to Chuck. "Who's in charge here?" he asked with a hostile tone. "That's clearly Daniel Shaw. We need to arrest him."

"Just what in the hell do you think we're doing?" Chuck asked as he showed the man his CIA ID. "That's Special Agent Sarah Bartowski. She is completely in charge of this situation. She has been authorized by a Presidential Special Executive order to use whatever means she deems necessary to arrest Daniel Shaw. She clearly has deemed this is necessary. Check with your superiors if you want. But I'm sure they are going to tell you the same thing. If you or your men interfere with her arrest, I'm going to have you charged with obstruction of justice. If you want to feel needed, make sure that he doesn't escape – and keep the citizens clear."

The fight actually started off slow. Shaw was fairly cautious. He stayed on the outside and used his huge reach advantage to jab at Sarah's face. A few of his punches actually found their mark.

Sparky had to force himself to keep watching. He was on the verge of tears. This was horrible. "She's losing," he said sadly. "It's just like I feared. He has too big of an advantage."

It was Elise who corrected him. She came up behind Sparky and put her arms around his waist. Then she winked at Heather – just to be sure that she didn't get any wrong ideas. "She's not losing, Sparky," she whispered into his ear. "Don't worry, sweetie. Those soft punches are not really hurting her. He's just pissing her off."

Indeed, it wasn't long before Shaw made his move. He rather quickly realized that Sarah was in better physical shape than he was. He was getting a little winded from their sparring. But he wasn't all that worried. After all, he had physics on his side. One solid punch would have her quickly helpless. Then he'd be able to snap her neck before even Chuck with the intersect could react. So he looked for an opening and soon followed up one of his jabs with a vicious overhand right.

The punch would have quickly ended the fight – if it had landed. But it ended up being his fatal mistake – almost literally. Sarah was anticipating such a move – and she was much too quick for him. She dodged the punch at the last instant and grabbed his wrist. The force of Shaw's punch and his own momentum caused him to stumble and fully extend his arm. So Sarah twisted his arm – and brought her other forearm down into it. There was a loud sickening crack. Not that anybody needed to hear the sound to know what had just happened. It was clear. Elbows were not designed to bend in that direction.

Elise let go of Sparky's waist and walked around to the circle where the kids were watching in stunned silence. "Look at his face," she said with a grin. "I mean, come on. That had to hurt, right?"

Sarah quickly followed up her advantage. Using his now helpless right arm as leverage she launched a kick into his gut, just below his rib cage. The air rushing out of his lungs was clear. So now, Shaw was pretty much defenseless. Sarah, still holding his right arm to prevent him from backing out of reach, threw her own overhand right – directly into Shaw's nose causing blood to splatter in seemingly every direction.

Elise laughed. "Did you mom ever tell you that she still holds the record at the CIA Academy for the most victories in kickboxing?" she asked in a deadpan voice. "Shaw is a moron for agreeing to fight her. He never stood a chance. She's sort of a bad ass."

Sparky wasn't sure if his mom heard Elise – probably not. She was a ways away. But she set out to prove her right anyway. Sarah ended the fight with two kicks. The first one was an impressive spinning reverse backhand style blow to the side of Shaw's knee. The second loud sickening crack clearly told everybody that Shaw no longer had a functioning left knee joint. A final tremendous kick to Shaw's groin left him in an unconscious heap.

"He's going to feel that in the morning," Elise said. "Did I ever tell you that the first time I met Sarah was when I was in her class on how to kick a guy in the groin? She is an absolute artist."

All in all, the fight had lasted only about two minutes. Sarah just looked at Shaw, lying in a heap – and spat on the ground next to him. "Just like I thought," she said. "All talk. You actually thought that you had a chance to seduce me? You couldn't carry my husband's socks. Enjoy your life in prison, traitor. You're under arrest." Sarah actually started to walk away – then she remembered the line from the movie. "Oh yeah," she said. "You lose."

Alex was so sore himself that he could barely move. His body hadn't nearly recovered from the beating outside of the bar a couple of nights ago. And now the bruises on top of bruises were really starting to take their toll. So much so that watching Shaw take that incredible beating actually wasn't that much fun. It made him think about his own aches. He really should have not been so stubborn and taken the Vicodin that Heather had offered him. But when he saw Shaw fall into a heap, all that pain went away – for a moment anyway. It was replaced with pure relief. This was over. It was time to get on with their lives. Finally Alex was going to start living. He had the job of his dreams - a brand new family that adored him - and even better, the girl of his dreams. Who could ask for more than that?

It would have been the happiest moment of Alex's life – until he locked eyes with Heather. He could see the pain in her eyes – and he could instantly tell what she was thinking. It was almost exactly the opposite. For Heather, going back to normal meant being half a continent away from Sparky – for a whole year. Alex felt ashamed of himself for being so selfish – so he stepped up to Heather, grabbed her hand, and led her a few steps away. He could see the surprise in her face. "Don't worry," he said. "He's crazy about you. We all are. He's going to find a way. I promise."

Heather didn't speak. She knew that she couldn't without breaking down. So she just put her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.

Alex winced as Heather squeezed him – on two levels. First, it hurt – a lot. But he also didn't want Kate getting the wrong idea. But then, he figured that Kate would understand. "I'm sorry that I've resisted you so much when you were trying to help me," he said. "It was nothing personal. I just don't like doctors much. They scare me."

Heather had to laugh – and found her voice. "From where I'm standing nothing seems to scare you," she said. "Actually, I'm not a doctor – not yet anyway. So maybe you don't have to be scared of me for a few years."

"You have a deal," Alex said. "While we're on that subject - do you still have that Vicodin?"

Chuck walked up to the lead FBI Agent. "I think you can take over now," he said. "Our mission is complete." Then he turned to his amazing wife who was just buttoning her shirt. "How are you feeling?" he asked with a grin.

"Never better," Sarah replied with her own grin. "I'm a little winded. I'm getting a little too old for this stuff. But you know how much fights turn me on. Let's go home and I'll prove it to you."

"Mom," Kate groaned. "You're killing me here. I thought that we had a deal. I'm nice to my miserable brother – and you keep whatever disgusting things you do with dad behind closed doors. Did you really have to say that in front of me? I'm not feeling all that well as it is. That might just push me over the edge."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex wouldn't go home until he apologized formally to the hotel clerk. And since Kate was in the mood to never let him out of her sight again, she reluctantly went with him.

Alex stepped up to the front desk. "I want to apologize for pointing my weapon at you," he said. "I hope that didn't frighten you too badly. I also want to thank you for your help. He did have a hostage. With your help, we were able to rescue her."

The clerk just smiled at him – and actually grabbed his hand. "I knew that you weren't going to shoot me," she said. "Not with those sexy eyes. If you really want to apologize – how about dinner? I get off in twenty minutes."

Okay, forget bad guys with guns. Now Alex was scared. The look on Kate's face was somewhere between horror – and rage. Somehow he managed to politely decline the invitation – and keep Kate at bay - barely.

That poor clerk. She had a gun pointed between her eyes a couple of hours ago. But she really never knew how close to death she actually came.

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that happened when they finally got home was that Ellie demanded that she examine Kate. After all, this was her specialty. Kate was pretty lucky to have perhaps the leading neurological expert in the country staying in their guest room. And Ellie wasn't in a mood to take any chances. She ran Kate through an exhaustive battery of motor function tests. And actually, the one that benefited the most was Heather. She asked Kate and Ellie if she could participate. And Ellie clearly had a blast mentoring her. And for what it was worth, Ellie came away very impressed with Heather's knowledge and ability. She asked some questions that showed she wasn't the typical first year medical school candidate.

Then Heather got a double treat as Ellie let her participate in examining Alex. And actually, Ellie was much more direct and to the point to Alex about taking care of his body than Sarah had been. Really, Ellie was examining Heather much more than she was examining Alex. She asked her several hypothetical questions about symptoms and treatment options. It was clear that Heather Moore was going to be an excellent doctor someday. Well, maybe that wasn't technically true. Moore probably wasn't going to be her name.

x-x-x-x-x

Ellie insisted that Kate take a nap while she examined Alex. And Kate had to admit, it wasn't that bad of an idea. She was still feeling a little weak from the drug. When she woke up, Alex was sitting in the chair next to her. Was he really afraid to get in bed with her? Okay, so she was giving him a bit of the silent treatment – but still. "Come to bed for a minute," she whispered.

"That's disgusting," Sparky said with a gleam in his eye. "I know that Mom wants us to get along better – but there are limits to what I'll do – even for Mom."

"Sparky," Kate said as she sat up. "Where's Alex? Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Sparky said. "There is. I think that you should know something. We were all panicked. We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off – even Mom and Dad. It was Alex who figured out where you were and who had you. He violated Elise's direct order, forced the clerk to give him the room number, ran up eight floors worth of stairs, and launched himself at that guy who was twice his size. If Mom hadn't come in exactly when she did, he'd have killed Alex."

"Okay," Kate said. "I know…"

"I'm not really finished," Sparky interrupted. "Here's my point. I'm not totally sure why – but the guy is crazy about you. So much so that he's risked his life three different times in the past week alone to save you. So if you're going to act all jealous of Alex – I seriously don't know what to tell you. Do you really think that he deserves one of your ridiculous silent treatments? Having been the recipient of about a million of them, I can tell you -they're not fun."

Kate smiled at her brother. "You love him as much as I do," she said. "Admit it."

Sparky didn't answer her question. The redness in his face was enough. It was noticeable even in the darkened room. "For what it's worth," he said with a grin. "I'm glad that you weren't captured – a little. It would have depressed Mom. Who needs that?"

"Yeah," Kate responded with her own grin as she recognized her own words thrown back at her. "Well, when I hug you later in front of Mom – don't worry. I won't mean it."

"Thank you," Sparky said as he opened the door. "Now I can keep down my dinner."

x-x-x-x-x

The mission debriefing was more like a party than a meeting. First things first – Chuck briefed the team on The Ring's plans. "From the documents that we found in Volkoff's suite," he said. "They were in the process of acquiring and importing five nuclear weapons. Shaw was going to use the CIA to get them into the country without being detected. They were going to deploy them in New York, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles."

"So that's how they would have controlled the military," Janice said. "After they detonated the weapon in Washington, what was left of the government would have been in chaos. They would have been completely in charge."

"That's why The Ring leadership gave up so easily," Sarah said. "They didn't want to spend the next couple of years in prison – but they were all willing too. They knew that they would be held outside of Washington. So they knew that they would survive the attack – and they didn't want to draw any attention to Volkoff. That was the real plan."

"That's why they didn't want Janice to be President," Kate said, more to herself than anybody. "She would have asked questions - and made the connection."

"What's the political climate between you and the President?" Alex asked Janice.

"We're back to being rivals," Janice said with a laugh. "They did pay attention to this crisis – once they realized how damaging it was. But their lack of attention to that point was unforgivable. By the way, I read your announcement speech. It was perfect. I'm going to deliver it exactly as it is written."

"So, now that we have Volkoff and Shaw - what's next for us?" Sparky asked.

"There's nothing next," Sarah said. "It's over. The FBI raided the safe house and found what was left of The Ring's men. Team Bartowski is officially disbanded. Joe and Elise get to go back to running a chain of upscale restaurants. Devon and Ellie get to go back to being world famous doctors. Alex and Kate get to go back to Washington and help Janice become President. You get to go back to school…" Then she saw Heather – and the tears that were threatening to overflow.

Kate already had her arm around Heather. So Sarah just reached out her hand and grabbed Heather's. "Don't worry, Lieutenant Moore," she said with a smile. "We're not forgetting about you. This is going to work out. I'm not exactly sure how yet – but it will. I promise. Trust me a little?"

Heather just nodded – and buried her face into Kate's side to hide her tears.

Alex stepped over to where Kate and Heather were locked in their embrace. "It's not totally over," he said. "I know that you're mad at me - but do we still have a deal?"

Kate couldn't move, Heather had her stuck. So she stuck out her hand. "Of course we still have a deal," she said. "Alex, I'm not mad at you. Not really. I'm mad at me."

"Good," Alex said. "That means we have to drive to Vegas tonight. I was thinking that Sparky and Heather could drive us."

"Alex," Sarah said. "I know that you and Katie had a deal. And I don't want to get in the way of that. But do you think you could wait until the morning? You're not in any shape to be driving to Vegas tonight. Tomorrow, we'll all go. I don't want to miss seeing my little girl getting married. And Janice and Casey will need a few hours to get there. So I'd appreciate you doing me this favor. I really think that we could use a couple of days to relax without someone trying to kill us, don't you think?"

Alex smiled at her. "Mom," he said. "I would never want to cheat you out of seeing your daughter getting married. And the honest truth is that I don't think my body is up to a wedding night anyway."

"Yeah," Sarah said. "About that. If you're going to get married tomorrow, you can't spend the night together tonight. It's a family tradition. I'll give you ten minutes to say goodnight then Kate is coming with me."

"What?" Chuck cried in mock terror. "Why do I have to suffer? I'm not getting married."

Sarah just grinned at her husband. "Sorry, big guy," she said. "Kate and I have to have a chat. Remember the deal that we made some twenty-two years ago? You kept your end – horribly, but you did it. Now it's time for me to keep up mine."

"Mom," Alex groaned. "Isn't this a tad old fashioned? We live together."

Chuck suddenly realized what Sarah was talking about – and remembered their deal all those years ago. "Trust me, Alex," he said with a laugh. "You're going to want Kate to hear what Sarah is going to tell her tonight."

x-x-x-x-x


	42. A Very Good Day

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay. So I've been consumed this week with my son's wedding planning. Maybe that inspired a lot of this chapter. Maybe I'm secretly wishing that he would just elope to Vegas, lol._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**A Very Good Day**

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay, Kate. Tell me the honest truth," Alex said as soon as the bedroom door closed. "Do you really want to get married to me tomorrow?"

All Kate could do was stare at him in stunned silence. She was having a hard time keeping from breaking down. "How could you ask me that?" she finally asked. "Alex, I'm very sorry that I got mad at you. Okay, I was jealous. But just because I was jealous for a second – you think that I'm questioning - us?"

Alex just shook his head at her – as much as his sore body would allow anyway. "You're misunderstanding me," he said. "It's true that I'm not very happy about getting the cold shoulder from you today. I don't think that I did anything wrong. I didn't do anything to encourage that clerk. And Heather? Come on, Katie. That's just silly if you're jealous that Heather hugged me. But that's not even what I'm asking. I just am concerned that I might be cheating you out of a big wedding – and your chance to be a bride for a day. I would never want to do that."

Kate stood there starring at him. She told herself that she was not going to cry. She would not be that girl who used tears to get herself out of a tough spot. So she blinked them away. "I'm so ashamed of myself," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "Of course you didn't do anything wrong. I keep telling you that you can depend on me – and I keep letting you down so miserably. You have been simply amazing. Not only have you risked your life to protect me three times in the past week, you were forced to watch me get intimate with another man – and didn't say a harsh word to me. I don't even know how to begin to say thank you. The only way that I can think of is with sex. And now I can't even do that because you're too hurt."

Alex smiled – as much as he could. "Why do you think that you have to thank me?" he asked. "I hope that you don't have sex with me because you feel guilty. But you really didn't answer my question. Do you want to get married tomorrow – or do you want to wait for a traditional wedding?"

"You're not listening to me," Kate said. "I love you – more than I can possibly tell you with words. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together raising our family. Nothing is going to change that. And if marrying you tomorrow is what you want – then it's what I want. We had a deal – and I'm living up to my end."

"And you're not listening to me," Alex said. His frustration level was becoming plain. "I'm not questioning if you want to marry me. I'm assuming we're way past that. I'm asking if you want to do it tomorrow."

Kate's resolve to not cry was being pushed to its limit. "Alex," she said. "Please don't be angry with me. I don't think I can handle that right now. I'm feeling awful enough already. The honest truth is I'm so horrible at making you happy. I really don't know what you want me to say. Of course, I've always imagined my wedding day with a full church and a white dress and my dad walking me down the aisle. I think that every girl probably thinks about that sometimes. But in my mind that pales in comparison to making you happy. I'm desperate to find some way to make you happy – because I so clearly suck at it. I need that. Please don't take it away from me."

Alex just held out his arms. "Katie," he said gently. "Calm down a little. I'm sorry how that sounded. The pain pill that Heather gave me is wearing off. And I'm really hurting. But that was no excuse to get cross with you."

Kate and Alex didn't get a chance to finish their discussion – because Sarah picked that moment to knock on the door. "Say goodnight, Katie," she said with a grin. "Alex needs to get some rest." Then she held out some pills and a glass of water for Alex. "Take these, sweetie," she said. "This is the same thing that Casey gave you after your fight at the club. It's a special formula that the CIA worked up. It would never get FDA approval but it works a whole lot better than the civilian drugs."

"Mom," Kate said. "Can you give us five more minutes? Please? We're in the middle of something."

Sarah just shook her head. "Sorry," she said firmly. "Say goodnight. This is Mom's time. Whatever you were in the middle of will still be there in the morning."

Alex was in pain – probably as much pain as he had ever been in. So he eagerly took the pills that Sarah offered. But he couldn't keep the grin from his face. "Goodnight," he whispered as he held her – well as tightly as he could. "Katie, you're being very silly, almost laughable. Trust me when I tell you – you are worried about absolutely nothing. I couldn't possibly tell you how happy you make me. Go have a good chat with your mom. We'll talk again tomorrow."

x-x-x-x-x

As it turned out, Sparky and Heather were having their own – well, discussion. And it wasn't going any better than Kate and Alex's.

Sparky wasn't so much angry – it was more depressed. "You don't have any faith in me, at all – do you?" he asked with a sigh.

Heather was stunned - so much so that she couldn't respond for a moment. "Why would you say that?" she finally asked - her voice a little over a whisper.

"Do you know how it makes me feel to see you crying?" Sparky asked. "Especially in front of everyone. I told you in Kentucky that I would do whatever it takes for us to be together. Do you really have such little faith in me that you would doubt that?"

Heather looked at him in horror as the tears that had never been that far away for the past few hours returned with a vengeance. "Sparky," she said. "Please don't take it that way. I don't question your commitment. It's just impossible. I'm in the army for another year. There's no way to get out of that. You're in school here. How can that possibly work?"

But Sparky was insistent. "You are questioning my commitment," he said softly. "You just did it again. You're assuming that school is more important to me than us being together. It's not."

"Sparky," Heather said in shock. "You can't leave school. Your mom would kill you. Then she would kill me. You're on a scholarship. You're going to be a doctor. What about our plans?"

"I can easily take a couple of terms off," Sparky said. "I'm so far ahead now that it's ridiculous. I think I can probably take some distance learning classes over the internet. I really think I deserve a little more credit than you're giving me. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty good at this school thing. And as far as our plans – what good are our plans if we're not together?"

"Sparky," Heather said. "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm sorry if you think that. Everybody knows that you're a genius. But what are you going to be doing all day in Kentucky? I have to work every day. My apartment is ridiculously small. It's designed for one person – who is never there. You would go crazy trapped in it all day."

"I know," Sparky said. "That's not going to work. The army will have to give us a bigger place."

Heather just laughed bitterly. "I don't think that you understand the army," she said. "They follow regulations to the letter. They don't give you a bigger place just because you want one."

"No," Sparky said. "That's true. But the regulations are pretty plain. I just looked them up on the web site when you were working on Kate and Alex with Aunt Ellie. If you have a dependant, you get a bigger place. A lot of solders are married and have their spouse and family living with them – right?"

It took Heather a long moment to figure out what he was saying to her. Then her heart jumped into her throat. "Sparky, is that what you really want?" she finally asked in a soft voice. "Your mom would have a cow."

"Don't worry about my mom," Sparky said with a grin. "I know exactly what to do. I can break it to her in a way that she'll have to agree. We'll wait until Kate and Alex get married – and then I'll tell my parents. But, Heather, only if this is what you really want. This is for the rest of our lives."

For the first time Heather actually smiled. "I'm so sorry that I questioned your commitment to us," she said softly as she pressed her lips to his. "I'm embarrassed. That was very wrong of me. Please don't question mine."

"I don't," Sparky said with a smile. "I guess that means that you owe me one, huh?"

The blush was quickly up Heather's neck and into her face. "Don't tell me," she said with her own grin. "You have something in mind for me to make it up to you."

Sparky just shrugged his shoulders as he fought to keep from laughing. "I might be able to think of something," he said in mock seriousness. "It seems fair, doesn't it? After all, you did just question my commitment to you. That's pretty serious. I'm sure that you wouldn't want to get married tomorrow carrying around all that guilt. Let's see – what could you possibly do that would take away that much guilt? It would have to require a big effort on your part, right? Let's try and think of something."

Heather couldn't keep herself from laughing. "You're so full of crap," she said as she began to unbutton her blouse. "Like we both don't already know what it's going to take."

"Full of crap?" Sparky questioned incredulously with his own laugh. "I have to say – this is not the attitude that I was hoping for. I would think that you would want to get married tomorrow with a clear conscience. I sort of expected, well frankly, a little more enthusiasm. I really don't see how that attitude is going to get rid of any guilt."

Heather stopped laughing. "I'm sorry," she said as she let her blouse fall to the floor. "You're absolutely right. Why don't you sit back and let me show you how sorry I am – and how much I'm in love with you." Then she sat on Sparky's lap facing him and put her hands behind his head. She pressed her mouth firmly to his. Quickly the kiss escalated until their tongues were dancing for a long while. "Was that a better start?"

"Much," Sparky replied – as soon as he could speak. "This is turning out to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Kate into the guest bedroom. The very one that Joe and Elise had just vacated a few hours ago. "Are you actually sleeping with me?" Kate asked in surprise. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"It's been a long time since we slept in the same bed," Sarah replied. "I think you were twelve. Do you remember?"

Kate grinned. "Hey," she said. "You know that I was afraid of storms. I still don't like them much."

"I know," Sarah said with a laugh. "Besides – if I leave you alone, you'll go sneaking back in with Alex. I learned my lesson on that one."

"In all fairness," Kate said. "It was Paul who sneaked back in with me that night. And for the record, we didn't do anything anyway. He was scared to death when you caught us. He pretty much thought that his life was over. Speaking of that, I can't believe that he's gone. Do you think that Alex would understand if I called his mom? Paul and his mom didn't have the best of relationships – but she was always very nice to me. We didn't even get to go to his funeral. I'll bet she's really hurting."

"Come on, Katie," Sarah said softly. "Who are we talking about here? Not only would Alex understand, I'll bet that he would encourage you to go see her. That's just the kind of man that he is. You know that I was never wild about you being with Paul – but it's no betrayal for you to be sad that he's dead. You shared a large part of your life with him for five years. It's only natural for you to miss him a little."

"You know what?" Kate asked. "I am sad. But the honest truth is that I feel guilty. I feel like I should be sadder somehow. I really don't miss being with Paul at all. I've known Alex for a month – and already I've had more good times with him than I ever did with Paul. Don't get me wrong. I'm sorry that Paul is dead. It's horrible that he was murdered. But I don't miss him. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Sweetie," Sarah said. "Of course it doesn't make you a horrible person. It just means that you're in love. That is completely understandable. Alex is unbelievably special. I'm so relieved that you found him. And that leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about. Your dad and I sort of made a deal before you were born. He would tell the kids about the birds and the bees – and I would tell you about some interesting – well, Bartowski family traditions that your dad and I sort of invented."

The room was dark – but Kate could still tell that her mom was blushing. "Traditions?" she asked. "What sort of traditions? I sure hope this goes better then when dad tried to talk about the birds and bees."

"I hope so too," Sarah said with a laugh. "Because your dad was messed up after that for a week. I just want to warn you – you're going to think that they are pretty silly. And they are, I guess. Most of them we made up to get us through a tough time. But some of them either your dad or I made up because we were in – well, a mood."

Kate just looked at her mom – and felt her own blush climbing up her neck. "Mom," she said. "How many of these traditions have to do with… well, with sex?"

Sarah just laughed. "All of them," she said. "Don't worry, sweetie. No one will ever know if you and Alex follow these – or even if you tell him about them. Here's an example. Whenever you fly in an airplane toward the East, its Bartowski family tradition that…"

Kate's eyes widened as she listened to her mom. "Wait a minute," she finally said. "When I was ten and we flew to Disney World, you and dad… In the plane?"

Sarah simply smiled.

"Oh my God," Kate laughed in amazement. "Sparky, Bryce, and I were sitting in the row right behind you. That is just wrong. I can't wait to tell Alex about that one. What are the others?"

Sarah began to describe the westbound tradition when Kate interrupted her. "Oh my God," she said. "Do you remember the three million dollar check that I got from Volkoff?"

Sarah nodded with a smile.

"I'll sign it over to you right now," Kate said with a grin. "If you promise to give me a tape of when you tell Sparky about these traditions."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was tossing and turning. It had been a long time since he actually had to spend the night in bed alone – and the honest truth was he didn't care for it much. So when he felt Sarah slip into bed beside him, he was instantly awake. "I'm surprised to see you," he said as he slipped into their usual comfortable position. "I thought that you would be with Kate all night. I'm assuming this means that it didn't go that well."

"Actually," Sarah said as she snuggled into her normal position with her head resting on Chuck's chest. "It went incredibly well. Kate just really wanted to be there when Alex woke up. So I gave in and let her. And I have to say, I was missing you too. The chat was great. I was a little awkward at first. But Kate was a trooper. It really helped that it was dark."

Chuck smiled – in between yawns. "I'm surprised that you went through with it," he said.

"I know," Sarah said. "Me too. But actually, I'm glad that I did. Kate was very mature about it. She promised to carry forward our traditions. She said that it's important to have a family – and things like traditions. I couldn't have said it better myself. Besides, it was probably our last chance to have that kind of mother-daughter moment. I'm… I'm really going to miss that."

Chuck reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek. "You've been a good mom," he said. "You've raised an incredible daughter. I'm so very proud of you. Remember how panicked you were at giving Kate her first bath? You've come a long way."

"She is incredible, isn't she?" Sarah asked with the pride clearly showing through. "But I had a lot of help. I'm proud of you too. Janice and Elise deserve a lot of the credit."

Chuck glanced at the clock. It read a little past two. "In a few hours," he said. "We get to watch her get married – to a truly wonderful guy."

"I know," Sarah said as she pressed her lips to his. "It's going to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Alex thought of was how soundly he had slept. He hadn't moved a muscle. Those CIA pills were really miracle workers. Then it hit him. He wasn't sore. Well, he wasn't nearly as sore anyway. They really were miracle workers. But the third thing that hit him was most definitely the best. He was spooned into Kate. And she felt - well, like an angel.

Alex squeezed her tightly for a second. That was enough to get her to roll over to face him. Alex didn't know if she had been sleeping or not. But there was no hint of sleepiness in her voice. "How are you feeling?" Kate asked.

"A lot better," Alex said. "I thought that you were going to spend the night with your mom?"

"I did," Kate said. "We had our talk. Then she told me to come take care of you. I think that she's worried about you more than she is me."

"Your mom is… well, she's incredible," Alex said. "She is almost as incredible as you are."

Even though it was dark, Alex could see the tears filling Kate's eyes. "I don't feel so incredible," she said. "Alex, I feel so horrible. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Please don't give up on me."

Alex reached over and rubbed Kate's arm. "Well, you are incredible," he said softly. "Why do you have it in your head that I'm giving up on you? Where is that even coming from? It's ridiculous. I couldn't give up on you if I tried. Katie, you're my life."

"You're my life too," Kate said as she kissed him gently. "Even if I don't always act like it. In just a few hours, we're going to be married. And I just want to make sure that you know. I love you. I'm so grateful to have you in my life. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. All you have to do is ask."

"Wow," Alex said with a smile. "Anything? That's really tempting."

That broke the tension – and Kate couldn't keep in the laugh. "I'm not talking about sex," she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. "At least, not only about sex. I mean anything."

"Anything?" Alex asked. "I think I have something."

"Name it," Kate whispered.

"Will you stop being so hard on yourself?" Alex asked. "I'm happy when you're happy. I really don't care if we get married today – or next month. As long as you're happy."

Kate smiled – and nodded. "I said anything," she said. "Okay, you got it. But you're not getting off that easy."

"Easy?" Alex questioned.

"You saved my life yesterday for the third time in a week," Kate said with a grin as she started kissing her way down his neck. "Prepare to be rewarded."

Alex, being Alex, put up a mild protest. "Katie," he said. "You don't have to do this. I don't need to be rewarded. I didn't do anything other than what I wanted to do."

Kate paused at Alex's stomach on her trip south. "I know," she said. "But neither am I." She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers – and pulled them off. "Come on, sweetie," she said as she resumed her journey. "I'll try to relax and just go with being happy for you. But you have to give me something too. You say that you're happy when I'm happy. Well, making you happy is making me happy. I need that. It goes both ways."

Alex finally gave in and relaxed. "Okay," he whispered – just before he lost the ability to think rationally. "This is going to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

_Author's note: I'm about ready wrap this up. I'm thinking one more chapter – and then an epilog. Or, I could find Bryce a girl. He's only sixteen, so it'd have to be puppy love. But maybe Elise helps him. And maybe – just maybe, she gets him (and herself) in trouble with mom. After all, Elise fancies herself as cupid, right?_

_What do you think?_


	43. Pre Wedding Jitters

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Alex and Kate are off to Vegas to get married. The whole team – no, strike that. The whole family is going with them. The team has been disbanded. The threat is over – or is it? What is Sparky going to tell his mom about his own plans with Heather? Could this possibly go smoothly? This is the Bartowskis that we're talking about._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Pre Wedding Jitters**

x-x-x-x-x

None of the kids had ever really been to Vegas before - except for Kate. So they were all pretty excited. Well, technically Sparky and Bryce had driven through it on their way to Grandma Beckman's that night. But they were far too freaked out to pay much attention at the time.

Joe didn't make the trip. For one thing, he wasn't crazy about his twelve-year-old son being exposed to the raunchy Las Vegas Strip. And he did legitimately have a business to attend too. After all, he had already been gone a week. So when he dropped Elise off at the house, he made sure to hug Kate and Heather and wish them well.

Devon and Ellie really couldn't afford to get away either. After all, they had been gone for a whole week as well, and the work was piling up. But there was no way that Ellie was going to miss her only niece's wedding. So they decided to fly in on their own for the day. They would fly right back home after the ceremony.

Sarah was right. Once Alex heard that Kate wanted to call Paul's mom, he insisted that she go talk to her in person before they left. He even drove her over to her place and waited in the car while they talked. And although it was an awkward talk, Kate was glad that she went. Paul's mom was still hurting and Kate could tell that this was helping her. Then when they got back, Alex had Kate take Robbie off for their own private goodbye. He wasn't sure what they talked about. He didn't even want to know. But they both were sure giggling.

The van was a little crowded with the eight of them. But they managed. After all, Kate and Alex would be flying back to Washington from Vegas. So they just decided to cram in the van. Of course, it didn't bother Bryce that Elise was basically sitting on his lap the whole trip.

x-x-x-x-x

Janice and Casey were already at the hotel waiting for them. The CIA had sprung for the whole accommodations, partly as a thank you – but also to keep some level of security. And there was one thing about the CIA that you could count on – they never did anything on the cheap. Team Bartowski had the entire top floor of the newest luxury hotel that the Strip could offer. It was so nice, that Ellie took one look and decided that the work would still be waiting for them. So she immediately dispatched Bryce to get online and change their flights.

Janice clearly had some news – besides the obvious fact that Casey was complaining about spending so much of the taxpayer's money. She pulled Sarah aside before she even had her jacket off. The gleam in her eye told everybody that something was up.

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce was hanging out in Kate and Alex's room. For a couple of reasons really. The main one was they clearly wanted to be alone. After all, it been a long time since he had been able to apply any little-brother style torture on his only sister. But there was also the fact that he was really ticked at his mom.

"So," Kate said. "You meet this girl while she is vacationing with her dad in Mexico. Then she finds out that you are going to be in Vegas – and she talks her dad into bringing her here? Why would she do that?"

"I know," Bryce said sarcastically. "Come on, sis. Answer your own question. And mom won't let me go hang out with her."

"What did she say?" Alex asked. "And what does this girl look like?"

Bryce just held up his phone so Alex could look at her picture. "She said that the Las Vegas Strip is no place for a couple of sixteen-year-olds to be walking around," Bryce moaned. "For one thing, she's seventeen. Mom still thinks I'm a baby. Kate, can you talk to her?"

Kate laughed. "A lot of good that would do," she said. "You know that there is only one person who can talk Mom into anything."

"I tried that," Bryce sighed. "Dad got pretty mad at me himself. He told me to never come to him after Mom tells me no."

"Did you show him her picture?" Alex asked. But then he saw Kate's look – and wisely decided to shut up.

"Yeah," Kate said, with a sideways glance at Alex. "That was really stupid. Dad would never undermine Mom like that. What were you thinking? There is only one person who can talk Dad into something like that. Have you asked Aunt Elise?"

"Man," Bryce groaned. "I don't know. I'd be embarrassed asking Aunt Elise something like that. I'd get another birds and bees lecture. And how I should treat women with respect."

"And just what is wrong with that?" Kate demanded as she tried to look stern with her hands on her hips – but the grin that she couldn't suppress gave her away.

"I know what to do," Bryce said excitedly. "There is one person who can talk Elise into anything. Kate – would you talk to her?"

"Elise?" Kate asked incredulously. "Why me?"

"No," Bryce said enthusiastically. "Aunt Janice. She can talk Elise into anything – and you can talk her into anything."

Kate just shook her head. "Bryce," she said. "Don't ask me to get in the middle of you and mom." She was just about to respond to Bryce's crushed look when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. When Alex opened the door, Sarah and Heather were standing there.

"Come on, Katie," Heather said excitedly. "Your mom is going to take us shopping."

As soon as the girls left, Bryce threw himself into a chair in disgust. "She's treating me like a baby. A hundred years ago - at sixteen, I'd be married and have a kid by now."

"Mom's are like that," Alex said. "Come on, Bryce. You know that."

"I'm not only talking about Mom," Bryce whined. "I'm talking about Kate too. Alex, could you talk to her for me? She'll do anything that you ask her."

"Well," Alex said with a grin. "I'm not sure she would do exactly anything. So, let me get this straight. You want me to talk Kate into talking Janice into talking Elise into talking Dad into talking Mom into letting you go down to the Strip and hook up with your new girlfriend. Is that about right? It actually sounds like one of Dad's plans."

"Would you?" Bryce asked.

"No," Alex said. Then he noticed Bryce's disappointed look. "But I will go with you and talk to Elise. Will that do?"

Bryce rubbed his hands together. "I'm pretty sure that Elise will do anything that you ask her too. I'm so in," he said excitedly.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had taken the girls to the forum shops to look for dresses.

"I can't believe the prices of this stuff," Heather said as Kate held up a Navy Blue dress against her body.

"Don't worry about the price," Sarah said as she eyed the dress critically. "We'll make Chuck win the money at Blackjack this afternoon. I don't think that's your color though, Heather. Maybe we should look for something Burgundy."

"Burgundy would be perfect," Kate exclaimed. "Or maybe something like a Wine color. I'm going to be so jealous. I'm going to be the bride, and you're going to have the prettier dress. Maybe you should be the one getting married today."

Heather tried to quickly change the subject. "Maybe we should look for something darker for you," she said. But she couldn't keep the redness out of her face.

Kate quickly picked up on Heather's discomfort. "Oh my God," she said. "Don't tell me…"

Heather quickly glanced at Sarah nervously. "Umm…" she said. "Mom, Sparky and I were going to talk to you."

"There is no way that you and Sparky are going to get married today," Sarah said firmly. "It's not happening."

"Mom," Heather said in a near panic. "I'm so sorry for you to find out like this. Please don't be mad. We were going to talk to you. It's the only way that we can be together. I love him. We are going to get married anyway, right? Why not today?"

But Sarah just smiled. "No way," she said. "Not today. You and I have to have a talk about family traditions first. We can do that tonight and you can get married tomorrow. Kate, you and Alex can wait until tomorrow or we can have weddings two days in a row."

Heather breathed a huge sigh of relief. "You're not mad?" she asked. "You do realize that Sparky will be leaving school for a while and living with me in Kentucky?"

"Why would I be mad?" Sarah asked. "We'll see about him leaving school. I think that it might work out a little different. You'll understand better this afternoon. I'm the one who is always preaching that when you find the one, you'll know. Heather, are you sure? Is Chuck Junior the one?"

"I'm very sure," Heather said. Then she turned to Kate. "I'm so sorry about stealing your thunder. I feel horrible about that."

Kate just threw her arms around Heather. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "I get a sister and a husband on the same day? I can't think of anything more perfect. Mom, we still have a few hours. Don't you think we could all have the family tradition discussion while we shop – and still get married this evening like we planned? I don't think that Alex can wait for another whole night. He might explode."

Sarah smiled. "I think that would work," she said. "We wouldn't want poor Alex to explode. By the way, don't tell Chuck Junior that we've had this discussion right away. I'd like to have a little fun with him."

"Yes, ma'am," Heather said with her own grin. "Now – what sort of family traditions am I signing up for anyway?"

x-x-x-x-x

Elise patted Bryce's shoulder as he sat on her sofa. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I know that things didn't work out very well for you this morning."

Bryce sighed – but then forced a sad smile. "Yeah," he said. "I never figured that I would get dumped today. I was sort of hoping for – well, another outcome."

"Sweetie," Elise said with a smile. "I'm afraid this isn't the last time that you're going to be disappointed by a girl. I know you might not think so - but you're going to have plenty of other chances for the outcome you were hoping for. Probably sooner than either one of us imagine. Trust me on that. What did she say to you anyway?"

"I'm not totally sure," Bryce said. "I stopped listening. But the gist of it was that she didn't want a relationship where we would have to constantly be chaperoned. She is going to be eighteen in a few months and she is tired of being treated like a kid – and blah-blah-blah…"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Elise said. "I would have left you alone for a minute but…"

"I know," Bryce said. "Those were Mom's rules. It was just not going to ever work. Maybe someday she'll get over it."

"Get over it?" Elise asked. "Over what?"

"She told me not to drive her car," Bryce said with a sigh. "It was the last thing that she said to me."

Elise laughed. "Trust me," she said. "Your mom understands about you driving her car. You're a hero."

"Not really," Bryce said sadly. "Sparky and Alex are the heroes. They were on television. I sat by the pool in Mexico. Can you imagine Mom treating Alex like this? It's different with me. She doesn't trust me. I blew it with her."

"Bryce," Elise said. "You'll never know how silly that is. Your mom is very proud of you. We all are."

Bryce didn't look up. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up," he said. "I really appreciate you going with me today."

"Anytime," Elise said. "Sweetie, come on. You know that I would do anything for you. You didn't have to get Alex to come ask me for you. So, what are you going to do now? Do you want to walk around the Strip with me? There are a couple of neat roller coasters."

"Thanks for the offer," Bryce said with a sad smile. "But you don't have to do that. I'm sure that you would have more fun playing Blackjack with Dad and Uncle Casey. I have some work to do anyway. My laptop is in my room. I'm working on an algorithm for my Artificial Intelligence circuit design dealing with speech recognition. Most of those routines have issues with escalating failure rates when decoding speech dealing with dialects, accents, and slang. My idea is to hash the context of the current surrounding speech to help determine…"

"Bryce," Elise interrupted with a grin. "That sounds like very impressive work. I didn't understand a word of it. But don't you think it would be more fun to go find another girl? There are plenty of them out there, you know? I'll help you."

The redness reached Bryce's face in record time. "I'm better with computers," he said. "Girls just don't want to talk to me. Even in Mexico, when I was the only guy there. They always go with the smooth talkers – like Sparky. Look at the women he gets. Can you imagine me finding a girl as incredible as Heather?"

"Wow," Elise said. "You'll never know the irony in what you just said. In the first place, smooth talkers only get to first base. The fact of the matter is that girls are looking for more than a smooth talker. Bryce, you have so much going for you. The plain truth is that you're just as good looking as Sparky is. You can learn to talk to girls. I'll teach you. It's not hard."

"Umm…" Bryce said. "I don't think so. That would be pretty embarrassing."

Elise laughed. "Who do you think taught Sparky how to talk to girls?" she asked. "Who do you think hooked him up with Heather? I can do the same thing for you. If you change you mind, call me and we'll hang out. Just don't work too hard, okay? I need someone to dance with at the party."

Bryce just nodded sadly as he got up and left.

Elise waited for the door to close behind him before she allowed her face to break into a huge grin. "He's so cute," she said to the now empty room. "He's not going to know what hit him." Bryce was about to meet the full power of cupid herself. After all, it was nice to be needed again. "But first I have to work on Sarah."

x-x-x-x-x

Heather had just nicely gotten back to the room with the mountain of packages from their shopping trip.

"Wow," Sparky said as she dumped the packages on the bed. "I thought that we were saving for Medical School."

"Actually," Heather said. "Your mom bought all this stuff. She said that your dad would win all of the money at Blackjack tonight. Is your dad that good of a player?"

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Apparently, he cheats," Sparky said with a grin as he went to answer the door. "Maybe not technically. But he has an unfair advantage." When he opened the door, it took him a long moment to speak. "Colonel Blum," he finally said in surprise. "Come in, sir."

"Colonel Blum," Heather said as she snapped to attention.

"Relax, folks," Blum said with a grin. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I just brought some news. I also brought a dress uniform and your new orders."

"A dress uniform, sir," Heather asked. "Is there some occasion?"

"I think so, Captain," Blum said. "After all, it's not every day that you meet the President."

Heather was stunned. "I'm meeting the President, sir?" she asked.

Blum smiled at her confusion. "Yes, Captain," he said. "We all are. He is coming to formally thank the team for its amazing success. He will also attend this evening's wedding."

Heather was sure that Blum just misspoke. "Captain, sir," she questioned with a smile. "Have I been promoted?"

"Your promotion just came through today," Blum replied as he stuck out his hand. "It's a more personal reward for your contribution to the team's amazing success. It was personally ordered by the President himself. Congratulations, Captain Moore."

Heather was stunned. So much so that she took a moment to take his offered hand. "Thank you, sir," she finally said.

"It was well deserved," Blum said. "I also have your new orders. You are currently to report to CIA Agent Sarah Bartowski until further notice. Your specific assignment will be to continue to protect Mr. Bartowski here at all times. Since you will be covert, you will continue to wear plain dress. As you know, Mr. Bartowski currently attends U.C.L.A. In order to be able to stay close to him, we have arranged for you to attend the Medical School there as a cover beginning with the spring term. I have your acceptance letter with me. I understand that you are currently rooming together. It would be inappropriate for my orders to demand that – but it seems like a good idea."

"We intend to be married this evening," Sparky said. "We would be honored, sir, if you would attend."

"I wouldn't miss it," Blum said as he shook Sparky's hand. "Well, if you're going to meet the President – and get married, I'd better get out of your way."

Sparky took Heather in his arms as soon as Blum left. "It looks like my mom worked it out so that we could be together – and go to Medical School," he said.

Heather paused for a moment. "We don't have to get married now," she said as she looked at the floor.

Sparky put his finger under Heather's chin and gently forced her to look at him. "We never did have to get married," he said with a smile. "We want to. We still do, right?"

Heather's face bloomed into a relieved smile. "Yes," she said. "We still do."

"Captain Moore," he said in between kisses. "That has a nice ring to it. Congratulations, ma'am."

"It does have a nice ring," Heather said. "But Captain Bartowski sounds even better."

x-x-x-x-x

When Sarah got back to her room with her own set of packages, Chuck wasn't back yet. When she poked her head into Bryce's room, he was lying on the bed with his headphones on, looking at his laptop. "Okay, Bryce," Sarah said firmly. "I've about had it with you today. Enough with the pouting already. Sweetie, it's really getting old. If you ruin your brother and sister's weddings, we have a big problem. Am I understood?"

"I'm not pouting," Bryce said. "I'm thinking about a hard technical problem."

Sarah sighed. "Come on, Bryce," she said. "I'm tense enough as it is. I really don't need any trouble from you. Okay? Let's just get through today. Please? Things will be better tomorrow."

Bryce just sighed. "Okay," he said. After all, it was easier just to give in than to argue with her. "Do you know where my light blue tie is? I can't find it."

Sarah snapped. "Bryce," she said firmly. "You've been dressing yourself since you were four. This is not the day to forget how. Alex has that tie. Surely, you have more than one tie. If not, talk to your dad about going downstairs and buying a new one. I really can't deal with that right now."

Bryce just looked sadly at her. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

x-x-x-x-x


	44. Two and a Half Weddings

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_It's time for the weddings. And the party afterward. Poor Bryce is still not having a real good day. And why are Sarah and Elise eyeball to eyeball?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Two and a Half Weddings**

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce was just tying his tie when Chuck lightly knocked on his door – and popped his head in. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Fine," Bryce said with a sigh. "Alex has my best suit – and my best tie."

"Well," Chuck said. "He is getting married today. Maybe we can cut him some slack."

"Mom's not happy with me," Bryce said. "I'm not really sure why this time."

"Mom's not happy with anybody right now," Chuck said with a sad smile. "Maybe we can cut her some slack too. She's really tense about the weddings – and The President. Just stay out of her way for today. Trust me, it will be better tomorrow."

"Dad," Bryce said. "I want to apologize for trying to get you to overrule Mom. That was stupid. I was just desperate. It won't happen again."

Chuck went over and put his hand on Bryce's back. "I know," he said. "It's been a really hard couple of weeks for Mom. Please don't judge her too harshly. Just stay out of her way today. Things will get better."

x-x-x-x-x

The weddings went well. Both of them. After they finally got to them, that is. First The President's people insisted on a huge photo-op with Kate highlighting her role in the capture of Volkoff. Kate particularly bristled at the thought of him using her for his own political reasons. So she made sure that Janice was also in every shot.

Then The President held a press conference – and it was Janice's turn to bristle. So much so that she called Kate and Alex into her room to make some last minute revisions to tomorrow's announcement speech. It was time to take the gloves off.

When they finally got around to the weddings, Sarah insisted that Chuck walk Kate down the aisle. After all, it was a promise that they had made to each other before she was even born.

Heather took the opportunity to ask Colonel Blum to escort her down the aisle. They made a striking pair, in their dress uniforms.

The double ceremony itself didn't take very long. With the President in attendance, they took a little more time than the usual Vegas wedding. But it was still brief. Not that it was important to anybody anyway. They all four said 'I do' and that's all that really mattered. Then it was time for the party.

The President stayed just long enough to dance with both brides. Kate actually made him wait. She insisted that her first two dances as a new bride were going to be with her new husband – and her father. Of course, it didn't help much that Kate couldn't stand him. It was really hard to pretend to be friendly with the man she was working so hard to make unemployed.

Sarah had finally gotten back to their table after dancing with The President, and Chuck, and Sparky, and finally Alex. After all of the tension of the weddings and all of the extra security caused by The President being there, it actually felt good to slump in her seat and relax for a minute. But something didn't seem right. Then it hit her. "Where is Bryce?" she asked.

Elise glared at her for a long moment. "You don't even know do you?" she finally snapped. "He's up in the room."

Sarah wasn't sure what to make of Elise's tone. "Why is he in his room?" she asked. "Is he still pouting about me not letting him go down to the Strip? I've about had it with him today. If he pulls this crap…"

"They made him leave," Elise interrupted. "The manager came to him and said that nobody under twenty-one could be in the club after six. It was their policy. They must not realize that Sparky isn't twenty-one yet. Poor Bryce isn't having the best day. First he gets dumped. Then this happens. Don't worry – not that you actually were. He's fine – just a little down. I was up there for a while. So was Chuck. Ellie just went up and checked on him. I think that General Beckman is going to go in a few minutes."

"When did this happen?" Sarah demanded, ignoring Elise's not so subtle shot. "When did he get dumped? Why didn't I know about any of this?"

"I don't know," Elise snapped. Now there could be no mistaking the anger in her voice. "I think that you might have been too busy hugging Alex to worry much about Bryce."

Sarah stormed over to where Chuck was standing. "Why didn't I know about Bryce being asked to leave?" she demanded.

"Bryce asked me not to tell you," Chuck said. "He didn't want to cause you any more stress. He knows that you're not happy with him. He's just trying to stay out of your way."

Sarah stormed back over, grabbed Elise's hand, and virtually dragged her to a quiet corner of the room. "Okay, Elise," she said firmly. "What in the hell is going on here? If you have something to say to me – just say it. Do you think that I should have let Bryce go this morning?"

Elise glared at Sarah for a long moment. "Let's be clear," she finally said. "Are you actually asking for my opinion? The great Sarah Walker…"

Sarah did a double take at the venom that was so clearly flowing from Elise. "Okay, Elise," she said. "What's really going on here? You can't be this angry with me because I wouldn't let my sixteen-year-old son go by himself to the Las Vegas Strip."

"Of course not," Elise snapped. "I'm not angry with you about that at all. Parents make those kinds of decisions every day. But since you asked, yes, I would have let him go. If you realize it or not, what you just told Bryce by not letting him go is that you didn't trust him enough to walk with a girl on a public street – in the middle of the day. I would have set some ground rules. I would have made him bring this girl up to meet me. I would have insisted that he check in with me on his cell once an hour. But that's me. You made another decision. That's your perfect right. If I or anyone else disagree that's too bad. I don't question your right to be his mom. If fact, I would encourage it. It doesn't happen often enough."

That was enough to make Sarah bristle. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sarah demanded. "Elise, why am I getting this crappy attitude? Okay, I missed the fact that they asked Bryce to leave. I feel horrible about that – but I was a little busy all day. Two of my kids just got married here an hour ago. I didn't know that he got dumped this morning – but he doesn't talk to me about his love life anyway. None of the kids ever has. That's more your territory."

Elise took a deep breath and calmed herself. "For one thing, he really doesn't have a love life," she said sadly. "He just doesn't have any confidence with girls – and they see that coming from a mile away. Sparky and Bryce are pretty much opposites in that regard. The fact that you don't even know that speaks volumes to me. He had a chance to actually talk to a pretty girl today. And maybe even a little more than talk – but she didn't want to be saddled with the required red-headed baby-sitter. You really don't have a clue what you're doing to him, do you? You can really stand there and have no idea how desperately he seeks your approval. Is it really possible that you don't see how devastated he is when he sees you fawn so much over Sparky and Alex then give him the cold shoulder?"

"Come on," Sarah said. "Elise, be reasonable. They just got married an hour ago. This is those two guys wedding day. I had to fawn over them. Bryce is a smart guy. He has to understand that."

"Of course," Elise said. "I understand about today. Bryce does too. You don't give him nearly enough credit. Of course he does. Here's a news flash. Bryce loves Sparky and Kate – and even Alex and Heather as much as anybody does. He's as proud of them and as happy for them as you are. It's not about today. It's about yesterday – and the weeks before – and the years before. You do realize that Bryce is as much of a hero here as anybody, right? He did everything that we allowed him to do. He drove the guys to my place when they rescued me. Bryce is the one who tranq-ed the bad guy that was getting ready to shoot Alex. He was getting in the car to come with us when I made him get out and gave him another assignment. He saved Ellie and Devon. If he hadn't contacted General Beckman when he did, Sparky and Joe would have almost certainly been killed because Blum wouldn't have been there to save them. If that had happened we would have had a serious fight on our hands – one that, even if we had won, it wouldn't have been in time to save Casey. If Bryce hadn't gotten in touch with Joe, he and Robbie would have been sitting ducks. If I would have asked Bryce to come with us and be the diversion instead of Sparky, he'd have done it."

"I agree with all of that," Sarah said. "Absolutely - why does anybody even question that? Bryce was nothing short of phenomenal. I'm so proud of him that I could cry. He was…"

"Really," Elise interrupted sarcastically. "Because I noticed that you didn't introduce Bryce to The President as part of the team. You introduced Alex. You introduced Sparky. Why not Bryce?"

Sarah's shoulders noticeably slumped – and she immediately blinked back some tears. "Damn it," she said, more to herself than to Elise. "I forgot all about that. You're absolutely right. I sure should have. I was going to. Where was he?"

"He was staying out of your way," Elise snapped. "That's what Chuck told him to do."

"He should have been there," Sarah said sadly. "I should have made sure. But we got all involved with the photo-op over the Volkoff capture with Kate. Then there was the press conference. With everything going on, it slipped my mind. That was just plain awful of me. That must have crushed him. I feel horrible about it. I will do something to make that right to him. I promise you that. I am clearly proud of Bryce. He is definitely part of the team. We'd be dead without him."

"Have you ever told Bryce that?" Elise gently asked. "Because I guarantee you that he doesn't think that you believe any of that. He's still panicked that you're mad at him for driving your car that night. He told me that himself this morning. Don't get me wrong. I love Alex too. But nobody questions if you admire him – because everyone sees you constantly fawning over him. All I've seen you do with Bryce since we've been back is to either ignore him or be cross with him. Have I missed something?"

The redness in Sarah's face answered the question. "We've been busy," she said, again more to herself than Elise. "We've been consumed for the past couple of days trying to catch Volkoff and Shaw. Alex was a key part of that. Bryce is only sixteen. Elise, he's my baby. There is no way I was going to involve him in such a dangerous mission."

"Of course not," Elise said. "I'm not suggesting that you should. He doesn't need a team leader anyway. He needs a mom."

Elise could see Sarah trying to blink back the tears. "Look," she said softly. "Sarah, everybody knows how much you love Bryce. That's not in question. Deep down, he knows it too. But maybe you should consider something. Let's face it - all three of the kids are pretty smart. They see things and draw conclusions that other people might not see. Kate is simply brilliant. Sparky is a true genius. But Bryce is clearly the smartest of the three. We've always known that since he was five. He's the most mature sixteen-year-old I've ever met. But he's not a happy person. You think that he's off pouting about some petty thing. And that's where you're just plain stupid. He's not pouting. He's sad and he's lonely and he has zero self-esteem. He's performed an extensive internal analysis of the situation and has come to the entirely logical conclusion that the person he admires most in the world simply doesn't approve of him. That, given the qualities in people that you clearly admire, he just doesn't measure up in your heart to men like Alex and Sparky. You've done nothing but reinforce that. Given your behavior, I'm not sure what other conclusion you would expect him to come to."

Sarah just stared straight ahead as she tried to blink back the tears.

"That's not all," Elise continued. "Bryce is a truly brilliant guy. It's not going to take him long at all to figure out that the only way to truly get the approval from you that he so desperately wants is by risking his life being a hero – like Alex and Sparky just did. And once he figures that out – he is going to find a way to try and do it. And then…"

"He's going to come home in a box," Sarah finished the thought as she fought unsuccessfully to keep the tears from streaming down her face. "That's what you're saying."

"He's going to come home in a box," Elise agreed softly. "I'm sorry to say it like that. But yes, like they all do eventually. The good ones last a while longer. But they all do. Those are the odds. I'm afraid so."

Sarah stood for a long time trying to gather her composure. "You're right," she finally said, her voice just over a whisper. "About a lot of things. Sweetie, please help me. I need to fix this - tonight."

But to Sarah's surprise – Elise smiled. "Just what do you think I've been doing here?" she asked. "Do you think that I enjoy getting pissed at you? You understand the problem now. I'm confident that you'll fix it. After all, Bryce is brilliant – but he's mistaken. He's taken some facts and misinterpreted them. All you have to do is show him that."

"But how?" Sarah asked.

Elise wrapped her arms around Sarah. "Do I have to do everything?" she asked with a laugh. "I'm going to go say goodnight to the newlyweds, grab your husband, and spend the rest of the night getting him sloppy drunk and giving back all of the money that he won today. It will be just like the last time we were in Vegas undercover. Remember when you were so worried that the Intersect 2.0 was going to make him jump me?"

"I do remember," Sarah said. "Like it was yesterday. You got in the Jacuzzi in your invisible bra."

"I'll stay mostly dressed tonight," Elise said with a grin. "We call it half of an undercover wedding. You go grab your son and spend the rest of the night being his mom. We'll compare notes in the morning. I bet we'll both have a good time."

"Okay," Sarah said with her own smile. "In the morning then."

"Not too early," Elise said. "I'll be hung over."

x-x-x-x-x

When Sarah stepped into the room, Bryce was in the very same position as earlier this afternoon. He was lying on the bed on his back with his laptop on his chest. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Bryce was clearly startled out of deeply concentrating about something – because he jumped. "I'm not pouting," he said quickly. "I'm just working on something."

Sarah was on the edge of being emotional – but Bryce's reaction made her smile. "What are you working on?" she asked.

Bryce's face showed his surprise. For a second he didn't know how to respond. "Umm, I'm working on a computer simulation of my proposed speech recognition circuit," he said. "I'm having a problem with it generating too much heat. I have to figure out…"

Sarah grinned – and held up her hand to stop him. "The question was rhetorical," she said. "Enough work for tonight. This is supposed to be a celebration. Change into some comfortable clothes. We're going out."

"Out," Bryce asked. "Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure yet," Sarah said. "Dress warm. It's a bit nippy outside. Take a jacket. I'll get changed and meet you in the living room in five."

Bryce was clearly apprehensive when he saw Sarah come out of her bedroom dressed in a dark pair of stretch pants and a hooded sweatshirt. "Umm," he said nervously. "Why did you leave the party? Am I in more trouble?"

"We're going back down to the party," Sarah said with a smile. "Just for a second. We need to tell our newlyweds that they're on their own for the rest of the night. Are you in trouble? I'm not sure yet. Maybe we can find some trouble – together."

"I can't get into the party," Bryce said. "They kicked me out."

Sarah took a long time to gather her composure. "I promise that I'm not going to cry in front of you tonight." she finally said. "Sweetie, I'm sorry about a lot of things - but I'm especially very sorry that happened."

Now poor Bryce was totally confused. "Why would you cry?" he asked.

Sarah took another long moment to blink away the tears that were building. "I let you down," she finally said. "I was busy and wasn't paying attention. But that's no excuse. I should have been there for you. I'm ashamed of myself that I wasn't. I'm especially ashamed that you ever think that you have to stay out of my way. Your dad and I are going to have a very serious chat about that tomorrow. If I had been aware of what was happening, I would have set this guy straight at the time. So let's go see if we can find that trouble you were looking for."

x-x-x-x-x


	45. Mama's Boy

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Can Sarah fix things with Bryce? Can Chuck and Elise actually have a fun evening without an adventure?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Mama's Boy**

x-x-x-x-x

The club in the newest hotel on the Strip was currently the chic in place to be for all of the beautiful people. It had been since it opened a few months ago. But especially today - since The President himself had just been there. There was a line to get in that stretched around the entire hotel. Being the manager of that club was one of the most sought after positions in the entire city. It had taken an exhaustive interview process to get the job. But the poor guy was currently wishing that he had his old job back. Because Sarah had him backed up against the wall – and was giving him an earful.

"No," Sarah said forcefully – like only Sarah could. "I am most definitely not happy. Let me tell you something about this young man that you just humiliated. Not only is he the brother of one of the brides and one of the grooms, he is a key member of the team that the President himself came here today to honor. He risked his life to protect this country – including you. And you treat him like this? That, quite frankly, makes me furious. It makes me want to get back at your somehow. I'm sure that the press would be most interested in how you treat our national heroes."

The manager knew that he was treading on very thin ice. She might look like a pretty blond housewife but like most of the country he had watched her devastate Daniel Shaw on live television. And right now, she looked more pissed than she had then. "Ma'am," he said as the beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "Please. You're absolutely right. It never should have happened. We have a policy but we clearly could have made an exception for this circumstance. I sincerely apologize. What can I do to make this right?"

"For one thing," Sarah said. "I'm not the one who you should be apologizing to."

The manager turned to Bryce. "Sir," he said. "I'm very sorry for any embarrassment or inconvenience that we've caused you. Please accept these two tickets to our stage show as a token of our appreciation for your service to the country. It's the hottest show in the city."

Bryce reached out his hand to take the tickets – but Sarah interrupted him. "He'll need four tickets," she said. "They would make great wedding presents from him to our newlyweds. I assume that they're for tomorrow night. After all, this is their wedding night." Then she turned to Bryce – with a twinkle. "Would that make you feel better sweetie?"

The manager paused. "Yes ma'am," he finally said. "I think I can come up with four tickets for tomorrow night. Would that end this?"

"Of course, they would be in the front row, center stage," Sarah said with a sigh. "I guess that would work. Is that okay with you, sweetie?"

Since Bryce wasn't sure what his mom wanted him to say, he could only nod his head.

The manager sighed. "Thank you, sir," he said. "I'll have someone bring you the tickets right away. It will take me a few minutes."

"We're going inside," Sarah said dismissively. "Bryce has to dance with his sister and his new sister. Then we're leaving. Have the tickets brought to him inside."

"Yes, ma'am," the manager said as he turned to leave. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Wow," Bryce said. "Those tickets cost almost three hundred dollars apiece. That's over a thousand dollars."

"If you could buy them," Sarah growled. "They have been sold out for months. I tried to get some tickets as a wedding present because I heard Alex saying that he wanted to go. This is going to cause him some serious inconvenience. But he got off easy. He made me look bad – to the last person in the whole world who I wanted to look bad to."

"Who's that?" Bryce asked. "The President?"

Sarah smiled. "No, sweetie," she said. "I couldn't care less about the President. I didn't even vote for him. The last person that I wanted to look bad to – is you. I was already doing a great job of that myself. I didn't need his help. Let's go say goodbye to the newlyweds. Then we'll go see if we can turn that trend around."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce was dancing with Kate. Well, you could call it dancing. Bryce was about Alex's level when it came to dancing. Kate had just found out about Bryce being asked to leave. And she was just as furious. "It's okay," Bryce said soothingly. "Mom already took care of it. I was actually feeling sorry for the poor guy. Mom had him sweating so bad – he probably needs to go change his shirt."

Kate wasn't completely satisfied. "It shouldn't have happened," she said. "But thank you for the tickets. Alex is completely freaked out. He was trying to buy tickets – but they are sold out for like a month. What did Heather say?"

"She kissed me," Bryce groaned as his face turned red. "In front of everybody. I think that she might be a little drunk."

"Well," Kate said – as soon as she could stop laughing. "Don't worry. I won't kiss you. Where are you and Mom going anyway?"

"I have no idea," Bryce said. "Mom is being totally weird. What is up with her?"

Kate pulled back a little and smiled at her brother. "I think Mom just realizes that she hasn't spent much time with you," she said. "Sparky and I got a chance to get closer to her in the past week. I think that maybe she wants to get to know you a little better. Take her up on it. You'll be glad that you did."

"Mom scares me," Bryce said. "I know that sounds horrible. And I would never tell her. But… Did you see what she did to that Shaw guy? It makes my elbow hurt just thinking about it. The commentators were getting sick on television describing it."

"I know," Kate said. "I was standing right there. Trust me. That Shaw guy got what he had coming. Mom is just… intense. It's just the way that she is. Come on, sweetie, you've always known that. But she would walk through fire for you, Bryce. Dad would too, in his own way."

"I'm really going to miss you," Bryce said with a grin. "Now that you're an old married woman. It was nice having you home again for a while."

"I'll be back soon," Kate said with her own laugh. "Now that the campaign is starting, we'll be traveling a lot. Trust me, we need to carry California. And, Bryce – I may be an old married woman – but I'm still your big sister. I'm really going to miss you too."

Bryce wiped his face. "I thought that you said that you wouldn't kiss me," he said with a groan.

Kate grinned at him. "I know," she said. "I lied."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Bryce out to the hotel parking garage. She was carrying a big stick of some kind. It almost looked like a baseball bat. "Where are we going?" Bryce asked.

"I thought that we'd go for a little drive," Sarah said as she finally stopped. "Do you recognize this?"

"Oh my God," Bryce said. "How did your car get here?"

"Colonel Blum had it shipped here," Sarah said. "Remember when you promised me that you wouldn't drive this car?"

"Mom," Bryce said nervously. "I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, stop," Sarah said. "I'm not mad at you. If you hadn't broke your promise we'd all be dead. How could you possibly think that I'd be mad at you? Tell me, Bryce. Why do you think that I made you promise me that you wouldn't drive the car in the first place?"

Bryce just looked at his mom for a long moment. "I don't know," he finally said. "I imagine because you didn't want me to wreck it."

Sarah took her bat and swung it into the rear quarter panel of the car. It made a huge boom – and left an even bigger dent. "Nope," she said. "You're not even close. It disappoints me that such a brilliant guy as you would even think that. You see, Bryce. This is a machine. We'll take it to the shop next week, and they'll fix it good as new. Do you really think that I love this car?"

Bryce couldn't tear his eyes off the huge dent. So he just nodded – in shock.

"I used to," Sarah said. "Long before you were born, there was a time in my life when I loved it. Do you know what they call it when people love inanimate objects?"

Bryce tried to shake himself out of his daze. "Not really," he said, still clearly in shock. "I haven't studied much Physiology. I think it might be a form of Transference. Do you want me to look it up?"

Sarah smiled. "That's okay," she said.

Bryce held up his phone. "I can," he said. "It will only take a minute."

Sarah grinned. "Sweetie," she said. "Put your phone away. The question was rhetorical. What it really is - is pathetic. I loved a machine because it couldn't love me back. And that meant that it couldn't stop loving me back. But then I met your dad – and I realized that there were people who I could love and not risk them destroying me. So, I don't love this car, Bryce. I admire its engineering. I enjoy driving it. But I don't love it. Not even close. What I love is you. And you have it exactly backwards. I was never worried that you would wreck the car. That's silly. Even if you did, it's insured. We'd just get a new one. I was afraid that the car would wreck you. I was worried that there is too much power here for someone who is not an experienced driver. And I can't replace you, sweetie. I knew that this car was a huge temptation for a sixteen-year-old boy. So I scared you. I blatantly manipulated you. That was selfish and incredibly wrong of me. You told me that you wouldn't touch it. I should have believed you. You have never given me any reason to doubt your word." At this point, Sarah had to pause for a long moment to gather her composure. "I'm not going to cry," she finally continued. "I promised myself. Anyway, I'm sorry that I did that. I just couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to you. But what it's done to you wasn't worth it. So, I'm very sorry that I scared you."

Bryce really didn't know what to do. Mom was clearly emotional – more emotional than he had ever seen her. "Mom," he said. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Sarah said. "It's made you afraid of me. Admit it."

Bryce just stared at her for a long moment.

"Seriously," Sarah said. "It's okay. I want you to admit it. You're afraid of me."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Bryce finally said, his voice no more than a whisper.

"Tell me the truth, damn it," Sarah said loudly.

"Okay,' Bryce yelled. "Yes. I'm sorry. It sounds horrible. But sometimes you scare me. You get mad at me – and I'm not sure why. Like right now."

"I know," Sarah said sadly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It not only sounds horrible. It is horrible. I've made my son afraid of me. That's the worst thing I can imagine. Maybe we can work on that tonight. It just breaks my heart to think that you're afraid of me. I'm intense. We all know that. But I would never hurt you, Bryce. In fact, you're the very last person in the whole world I would hurt. I would tear anybody apart with my bare hands who tried to hurt you. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at me. Anyway, sweetie, let's go for a ride. I have something that I want to show you."

Bryce watched in stunned silence as Sarah opened the passenger door and climbed inside. Really having no choice, he finally got into the driver's seat. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Of course," Sarah said with the beginnings of a smile. "The car's ruined anyway. We might as well finish it off. But, sweetie, please be careful on the Strip. There is going to be a lot of traffic."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah gave Bryce directions until they were finally on a dark gravel road – well outside of the city. She had him pull off the road in front of a deserted warehouse. The building was clearly in serious disrepair. Sarah smiled at Bryce in the darkened car. "You're really an excellent driver," she said. "You're much better than your dad. He rides the clutch. I yell at him about it all the time. It drives me crazy. It was silly of me to have worried about you. You look like you've been driving this car for years."

"Thanks," Bryce said. It was silly how good that throw away compliment made him feel. "Mom, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Of course," Sarah said. "That's why we're out here. What do you want to know?"

Bryce took a deep breath. "Why are you being so hard on yourself? I mean, come on. I've been well provided for and have two loving parents with a strong support structure. Most of the State of California's recommended criteria for parenting have been followed. All of the socio-economic indicators seem to be well within the normal range. All of my test scores would seem to indicate a well balanced upbringing."

Sarah smiled at her son. "You read a lot, don't you?" she asked. "Most of the criteria have been followed? What hasn't been?"

Bryce noticeably blushed. "Weapons in the home," he said. "The State recommends that there be no weapons stored in the home. But don't worry. My latest physiological evaluation was in line with that of a normal teen. I'd say that you're doing a pretty good job."

"How do you know what was in your latest physiological evaluation?" Sarah asked with a grin.

"Actually," Bryce said. "Those records are stored on the school computers. Their security system was only a sixty-four bit based cryptographic protocol algorithm. It was fairly easy to… umm… I'm in trouble, right?"

"Well," Sarah said with an even bigger grin. "I'm not crazy about the idea of you hacking into private school computers. For one thing, it's a crime. Let's agree that you won't ever do it again. Deal?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bryce said.

"The answer to your question is pretty complex," Sarah said. "Sure – by all the measurable statistics that the State of California puts out, I'm doing okay. But truthfully, I can't take any credit for your test scores – they are all you. Besides, I don't measure myself against the State's criteria. Okay was never good enough for me. The fact of the matter is that I want to do better. You deserve better. I want to make sure that you know that you're not only loved – you're appreciated – valued – cherished. I'll admit that I was annoyed with you this morning. Some of that was deserved – but a lot of it was unfair. I want you to know that even when I'm annoyed with you, you never have to worry about winning my approval – or my love. And I've dropped that ball pretty seriously lately. Does that answer your question?"

Bryce nodded. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is a very important landmark in our family history," Sarah said. "And especially for you. You see, you're named after a man. The man who - sort of, in a way - introduced your dad and me. His name was Bryce Larkin. This is where he was killed." Sarah got a flashlight out of the glove box and got out of the car. "Are you coming?" she finally asked with a grin.

"Mom," Bryce said nervously as he slowly got out of the car. "Are we really going inside that building? This is a natural habitat for rattlesnakes. And although they are mostly dormant at this temperature…"

"Come on," Sarah said with a grin as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "If a rattlesnake bites you, I'll cut your leg and suck out the poison."

"Great," Bryce said. "That makes me feel so much better."

Sarah laughed for a long moment. "Bryce Larkin was your dad's roommate at Stanford," she finally said. "He also was a CIA agent. And he was my… umm… partner for about a year." Once they were inside the building, Sarah pointed the flashlight towards the office. He was captured and tortured to death in that room. The bastard that did it taped it and sent it to us. When Bryce was dying, he gave us the clue that finally helped us catch him. I think you've heard the story of Elise losing half a lung? That happened here too – right about where we're standing."

Bryce nodded. Then he realized that it was dark. "Yes," he said. "Sparky told me all about it. Uncle Casey told him the story. He said that you received your third Presidential commendation for this mission. It's the most that any agent has ever received. That no agent outside of your team has more than one. He told me that you single-handedly saved Europe from being nuked. You're one of the biggest heroes the country has ever had."

Sarah smiled at the pride in Bryce's voice. "That was a long time ago," she said. "It was way before I met your dad. And it wasn't as glamorous as you're making it sound. I promise that I'll tell you the whole story someday – soon - but not tonight. I have some other things I want to accomplish tonight. What else did your brother tell you?"

"He said that you were the top CIA agent in the world," he said. "And that's why we needed to cut you some slack. We had to share you with the world. Mom, I've never said this to you – but you need to know how proud I am."

Sarah's smile turned into a grin. "Thanks," she said. "You're wrong about one thing. You don't have to share me with the world. You dad is actually more famous than I am. I've been lucky. And actually, if the current President wasn't such a dickhead, I'd probably get a forth commendation. And you would get your first."

Me?" Bryce said in amazement. "What did I do?"

"Let's see," Sarah said. "How about evading Ring agents who were pursuing you to get word of the plot to General Beckman. Oh, and leading the assault that saved Agent Walter's life. And who could forget coordinating the communication for the counter attack on Red Mountain that saved five lives – including mine? If it wasn't for you, the Ring would have won. Bryce, you're a national hero – just like your name sake. I had every intention of introducing you to the President this afternoon as part of the team. I'm so sorry that I didn't. Things just got crazy and I forgot. That was unforgivable. You are a huge part of the team. You had just a big a role in this as anybody – just as big as Alex or your brother. You deserve just as much of the credit."

Bryce needed to change the subject. "You hesitated when you described your relationship with Bryce Larkin," he said. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

Sarah paused for a long moment. "Yes," she finally said. "It's hard to get anything past you, isn't it? We lived together for a few months. Can we please make a pact tonight? I'll never ask you about any girls that you sleep with and please don't ask me about any men in my past, do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Bryce said with a relieved laugh. "Hopefully, someday I'll actually have something to not tell you. Did you love him?"

"I'm glad that you asked that," Sarah said. "And that's exactly why I brought you out here tonight. My feelings for Bryce are sort of like the car. I admired his spy skills. He was a great partner. So that substituted for love for a while."

"He sounds like a huge hero," Bryce said.

"I guess," Sarah said. "In a way. A lot of people would think so. He dedicated his life to the greater good. I happen to think you're a bigger hero."

Bryce was stunned. "Me?" he said. "Why would you say that?"

"Bryce Larkin never allowed himself to love anybody," Sarah said. "He was, in fact, a coward. He threw his life away doing dangerous things so he wouldn't have to face making himself vulnerable to another person. I know that because I was once exactly like him. You, on the other hand, have a life worth living – but when it was required, you risked it anyway. You're the bigger hero. Because you risked losing something. Bryce didn't. He really had nothing to lose."

"But so did Sparky and Alex," Bryce protested.

"Of course," Sarah said. "But don't mistake admiring someone with loving them. I love Alex. But I wanted to kick his ass when he took an unnecessary risk. Ask him about it. I was pissed at him. I still am. Can you imagine the scene if I lost you, sweetie? Can you imagine me having to go to your funeral? Can you picture me sitting there when they were burying you, knowing that I would never see you again? That would be worse than dying myself. Bryce, listen to me. If you don't hear anything else I say tonight – hear this. You owe it to me… Bryce, you absolutely owe it to me and everyone else who loves you to do everything that you possibly can to make sure that I never have to go through that. Do you understand?"

Bryce nodded.

"Bryce Larkin didn't care," Sarah said. "That's why I can't say that I loved him. It's when I met your dad that I finally discovered what it felt like to truly love someone."

"So dad was your first love?" Bryce asked with a grin.

"My only love," Sarah said with her own grin. "I know that sounds corny – but it's true."

"It doesn't sound corny," Bryce said. "Well, maybe a little. But it also sounds… nice."

"So here's the moral," Sarah said. "I love your brother and Alex. I do. I know that you do too. And I'm proud of them – just like I'm sure that you are. I'll even admit - I fawned over them a bit in the past couple of weeks. But Bryce, I'm not one bit more proud of them than I am of you. I don't love them one bit more than I do you. I screwed up. I let myself get busy and ignored you and what you needed. I'm ready to start fawning over you. I'm sorry if I've made you question any of that."

Bryce put his arms around her. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry too. You know that I love you too – very, very much. You're my mom."

"You had to go and say that, didn't you?" Sarah said as she grabbed him and began to sob. "After I promised myself. Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry about. I haven't been acting like your mom lately. That's going to change."

Bryce held on tight.

"Look," Sarah said. "There's something else. I'm sorry that things didn't work out with that girl this morning. I know that you're probably not ever going to be comfortable talking to me about girls. That's okay. I promise that there will be other chances. I may be a tad biased – but you're an amazing catch. And I'm sorry that my decision cost you a chance with her today. But that doesn't mean that I'm sorry about not letting you go to the Strip. I'm still going to be your mom. I'll still make some decisions that you're not going to agree with. And I still demand to be obeyed. But understand, sweetie. My decisions are because I love you and I'm trying to protect you - not because I don't trust you."

Bryce just nodded as they continued to hold each other. "I thought that you said that you weren't going to cry?" Bryce finally asked.

"I know," Sarah said as she clung to Bryce between the sobs. "It looks like I lied."

After a long couple of minutes, Sarah finally stirred – and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Let's get out of this depressing place," she said. "I'm really glad we had this talk tonight. Maybe it cleared the air. I hope that you know that you never have to be afraid of me. Now let's go back to civilization and have some fun. Do you mind if I drive back? It's been a long time since I've driven the car – and besides."

Bryce looked at his mom quizzingly.

Sarah's grin lit up the dark room. "I promised you some trouble," she said.

"Speaking of trouble," Bryce said with a laugh. "Aunt Elise wants to teach me how to talk to girls. Do you think I should let her?"

"Well, sweetie," Sarah said with a grin. "As your mom, that's a tough one. Elise is a freaking genius. There is no question about that. But I'm also sure that I'm not going to want to hear the things that she is going to teach you. So I'd say only let her if you want to have something to not tell me."

Bryce grinned at his mom. "Actually," he said. "This might be bordering on creepy territory – but that's something that I wouldn't mind so much."

x-x-x-x-x


	46. Something You're Good At

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay. Elise is cupid, right? Can her plan help Bryce actually get good with the ladies? Will Sarah allow it?_

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Something You're Good At**

x-x-x-x-x

"You don't look that hung over," Sarah said. "What happened? Are you getting too old to remember how to party?"

"She's not getting too old," Chuck said. "She just spent all night working on her newest plot."

"I keep telling you," Elise said disgustedly. "We've had this discussion about a thousand times. We don't refer to my mission preparations as plots. I don't call the outrageous things that you come up with plots, do I?"

"I don't know," Chuck said with a grin. "Don't you?"

"Not to your face anyway," Elise replied in a mock serious tone. "You would think that I might get the same consideration. Besides, that's not all I did all night. If I remember right, I had to spend a fair amount of time listening to you crying that your wife was pissed at you – and how you might have to go one whole night without… well, who knows what disgusting things you two do together? Has that part slipped your mind?"

"Fortunately, she came home in a good mood," Chuck said with a grin. "A very, very good mood, actually. Disgusting things were back in play."

"I can see," Elise said. "I assume that it went well last night."

"It went fantastic," Sarah said with a sideways grin at her husband. "It might have been the best night of my life. We really connected. I took him to the warehouse where we fought Colson. I told him all about Bryce Larkin. Then we came back and walked around the Strip. We had so much fun, Elise. We rode all the rides. Bryce is such a freaking genius. He was calculating the G-force in his head as we were climbing the hills. He is also very funny once he's relaxed. He could be a stand-up guy. He had me laughing all night. But the best part was when some guys were trying to… well, hit on me. Bryce helped me shoot them down. He was a scream. Where is he now anyway?"

"He's in Janice's room," Elise said. "They are going over the plans for her announcement speech. She wants all three kids to be on the platform. She is going to make a point out of honoring them as heroes in her speech. She is going to contrast them against The President's actions. She is really going to let him have it with both barrels. Janice is as pissed as I've ever seen her. I watched her practice with Kate. It's really going to be a great speech."

"That's good," Sarah said with a smile. "I'd glad that Bryce will finally get some recognition."

"Yeah," Elise said. "I had to make sure that Janice was going to do it. Fortunately, she was already totally on board. It's a key component to Operation Amy."

"What's Operation Amy?" Sarah asked.

"Amy is the girl who dumped Bryce yesterday," Chuck said with a grin. "This is the plot… umm… I mean mission preparation that I spent all last night listening too."

"I'm going to brief you," Elise said. "Sarah, I want to make sure that I'm not going to have any doting mommy issues to deal with. I can't have that. This is a very precise plan."

Sarah's head snapped up. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Step one," Elise said. "We set the trap. Amy and her dad are already set to attend Senator Casey's announcement speech this morning as her special guest. As it turns out, Amy's dad is somewhat of a supporter. That should give Amy a good earful of what a hero Bryce is."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Step two," Elise said. "We impress the hell out of her. I've secured two tickets to today's matinee performance of the same show that our newlyweds are going to tonight. Amy has graciously agreed to attend as Bryce's date. That would normally be enough. After all, this is the hottest show in North America. But I'm not in the mood to take any chances. What Bryce doesn't know is that they are going to stop the show and recognize him in the audience as a national hero. The standing ovation should drive another nail into Amy's coffin."

Sarah smiled. "Okay," she said. "There's nothing wrong with that either. As long as I don't have to hear how you got the tickets. They have been sold out for months."

"Actually, my co-conspirator got the tickets," Elise said with her own smile. "You might want to ask her how."

"Janice?" Sarah asked.

"No," Elise replied. "Kate got them from a lobbyist. I seriously didn't ask how. By the way, the day after she gets married? She is running around like a chicken with her head cut off preparing the press for Janice's speech. Alex is too. They are totally in a zone. Anyway, step three - the sensitivity hook. Bryce is going to take her for a drive in the Porsche. He is going to take her to the same warehouse that you went to last night and tell her the story of the man that he's named after."

"Wow," Sarah said. "I don't know about that. The Porsche?"

"Come on, Sarah," Elise said. "I thought that you worked all that out last night. Surely you're not worried about him driving your car – in the middle of the day? It's time to trust him a little."

"I'm not worried about him driving the car," Sarah said. "It's not about trust. That's not it at all. I'm worried about the girl – Amy, is it? After that full court press – with that hot car - she is going to want to… umm…"

"Reward her newly famous heroic boyfriend by offering to remove some or all of her clothes?' Elise asked. "Of course she is. She absolutely is. She's going to be on him like stink on a pig. That's all part of the plan. Why do you think that they are going someplace so secluded?"

"Come on, Elise," Sarah said cautiously. "I want Bryce to have a good day. Of course I do. But he's only sixteen. There is no way that I'm signing off on such an explicit seduction mission. Maybe we could find him another car."

Elise didn't respond to Sarah. Instead she turned to Chuck. "Tell me," she said. "Have you ever tried to have sex in a Porsche? In particular that Porsche?"

"Only about a million times," Chuck sighed. "It's simply impossible."

"Exactly," Elise said sarcastically. "Find him another car, Sarah? Maybe a Crown Vic with a nice big comfortable back seat? How about they take the totally non-sexy mission van – with the fold out bed in the back? Oh wait – I have an even better idea. How about you try and show a little faith in your humble mission planner here? Bryce's innocence is going to still be intact after today. We're not trying to make him a man with this plan. We're trying to give the poor guy some confidence. I'll tell you what. Why don't you two rookies go find something that you're good at and leave the romance planning stuff to a professional? Chuck, maybe you could go play some more Blackjack. Sarah… I don't know, sweetie. What are you good at? Maybe you could go kill someone."

Sarah grinned. "Okay," she said. "You made your point. I'm sorry that I questioned you - but enough with the gloating. What is the rest of the plan?"

"Step four – we seal the deal. They are going to take a romantic helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon," Elise said as her sly grin returned. "Then a limo is going to pick them up and drive them around the Strip for a while and then bring them back here. They are going to have a nice soft candle-lit lobster and filet dinner with you two. Sarah, you might want to close your ears for this part – but I could see some serious necking in the back of the limo. I wouldn't worry too much. There's no way that Bryce would try to go farther than second base in such a public place – even with her encouraging him. I imagine that her dress is mostly going to stay on. Sarah – you have to be nice to her at dinner. You can't scare her off. We can't have any bad ass Agent Walker coming through. Keep your knives in the room."

Sarah sighed. "I guess," she said. "This is for Bryce. But it's going to be hard for me. He's only sixteen."

"Exactly," Elise said. "Sweet sixteen and never been kissed. That has to change. The whole day is designed to give Bryce some confidence. To tell him that he has a ton of things going for him that girls look for and if he is just himself that they will come to him. That leads us to step five – leave her wanting more. Bryce and Amy will spend the rest of the night with her dad – and me, walking around the strip. It will be a good opportunity for them to hold hands and actually talk. Amy's dad might get a little drunk and pass out."

Chuck laughed. "You're going to drug the poor guy?" he asked. "That's hardy sporting – is it?"

"Maybe," Elise said. "I'm not sure yet. That's a game time decision. It depends on how aggressive he gets with me. I'm not really looking for a prom date with six arms that I have to fend off. The other thing is Joe. I sure don't want to give Joe anything that would allow him to claim that I owe him one – if you understand my meaning. He has far too active of an imagination and isn't shy about using it. I'd like to let a little more time pass before I have to endure another session of his version of dress-up-night – like maybe a few years. So, Sarah, are we good?"

"I guess that would be okay," Sarah sighed. "I'm not crazy about the removing some or all of her clothes in the Porsche or the second base necking in the limo parts. But he is growing up."

"Yeah," Chuck said in horror. "But neither of those things sounds nearly as bad as Joe's version of dress-up-night. Did you really have to tell us about that? I might have nightmares."

"Good," Elise said, ignoring Chuck. "I'm glad that you're on board. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to our Romeo and buy him a new suit. After all, he has to know exactly how to act for any of this to work. Sarah, remember. Be nice to her."

x-x-x-x-x

"Aunt Janice," Bryce said. "I know that you're in pre-game mode. So if this is bothering you, it can wait. But can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Bryce," Janice said. "Don't worry about pre-game mode. Actually it will help to get my mind off it for a couple of minutes. What do you want to know?"

"How much of what Aunt Elise claims is really true?" Bryce asked. "She claims to be cupid herself. The only thing that is missing is the bow and arrow."

"Pick out any couple that you know," Janice said with a grin. "Except for your mom and dad. They were already well beyond disgusting when Elise met them."

"You and Uncle Casey?" Bryce asked.

"Elise is the one who first told me that Casey was in love with me," Janice said. "It was the first day that I had even met her. Those were pretty much the first words that she ever said to me. You know Uncle Casey. He would have danced around it for months. But Elise forced his hand. So Casey and I went in a room and umm… well, we worked it out that day. We've been together every since. One time we had a pretty major fight. It was all misunderstanding but we weren't speaking to each other. It was Elise who got us back together. She is who I go to when your Uncle Casey has me confused. She hasn't let me down yet. I think that you know that she is the one who first asked Heather out for Sparky. She also is the one who told Kate how to tell Alex that she was in love with him. I'd say that she pretty much is cupid."

"Okay," Bryce said. "How about Aunt Ellie and Devon. They have been together longer than Mom and Dad, right?"

"Right," Janice said. "Elise didn't get them together. But they were drifting apart – and Elise did get them back together. Get your mom to tell you the story sometime. It's actually pretty racy. What did Elise tell you to do tonight?"

"Actually nothing," Bryce said. "She told me to let Amy come to me. She just told me to look into her eyes and not her chest, be myself, and don't be aggressive. That the more passive I was, the more it would drive Amy crazy."

"Well," Janice laughed. "Being passive is not my style. But I have to admit – Elise is a genius. And before I forget, wow. That suit looks fantastic. Amy is a lucky girl."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah finally had to admit to herself – this Amy girl wasn't the devil. She actually seemed pretty nice. Perhaps she wasn't the most brilliant person that Sarah had ever met – but she was nice. She was certainly very attractive. And Bryce in that suit, wow – simply wow. Say what you want about Elise – but the girl could sure pick out a nice suit. They made such an attractive couple. And poor Amy had clearly just become the latest victim of Elise's plot - umm… make that mission preparation. She was plainly overwhelmed by the accumulation of romance of the day. The doe-eyed way that she looked at him told everybody that.

And the look on Bryce's face – it was enough to make it all worth it. Although there was some lipstick on his neck that they had obviously missed cleaning up. Sarah could almost forgive the scene that had almost assuredly just taken place in the limo. It was best not to think too much about it.

Of course, it didn't hurt that this was one of the best meals that Sarah had ever had in her whole life. Elise was downright scary in her efficiency. How could she possibly have arranged for all of this in a single day? They were dining in a private room overlooking the lights of The Strip. The filet simply melted in your mouth and naturally, lobster was Sarah's favorite anyway. Elise had even made sure to pick out Sarah's favorite wine. Just who was she trying to make lucky tonight anyway? Bryce – or Chuck? Naturally, with Chuck in the room, she didn't have any worries about any awkward silences. He was simply at his most charming, funny best.

And Amy herself was clearly trying her best to impress them. "Mrs. Bartowski," she said. "Your car is unbelievable. Thank you so much for letting us drive it today. It meant a lot to me to share in your amazing family history."

Sarah had to shake off the image of one of her knifes landing between Amy's eyes. _Could we really be sure that she wasn't a holdover Ring Agent? It was possible, right? After all, they loved to recruit attractive girls with big boobs._ But then Elise's words echoed in her mind. _Be nice to her_. So she forced the soft smile on her face. "First off, Amy," she said. "My name is Sarah. But you're very welcome. Are you kids having a good time?"

The grin on Amy's face said it all. "Wow," she said. "Did you know that they stopped the show this afternoon and announced that Bryce was there? He got a standing ovation."

Sarah forced the surprised look on her face. "Really?' she said. "They stopped the show? That's impressive."

"Yeah," Bryce said with a sigh. "That was pretty embarrassing. I wasn't expecting that."

Amy turned to look at Bryce. "Stop being so modest," she said with a soft smile. "You're a national hero. Of course people are going to want to recognize you." Then she turned back to Sarah. "Isn't he cute?"

Naturally, Sarah was forced to agree. It was so plainly true. She also had to admit. Amy probably wasn't a Ring Agent. "Yes," she said with a sigh. "He's incredibly cute."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise was nothing if not precise. She was there at the exact specified minute to collect them. She sent Bryce and Amy down to meet Amy's dad in the lobby. "Well," she said as soon as they left. "How did it go?"

"That poor girl," Sarah laughed. "She is completely smitten."

"Yeah," Chuck said with his own laugh. "She is ready to bear his children tonight."

"I know," Elise said. "I'll talk to Bryce in a couple of days on how to let her down easy."

"Let her down?" Sarah asked. "Why would he let her down? What was all of this for? I thought you were going to hook them up?"

"Come on, Sarah," Elise said with a laugh. "Amy is not the long term girl for Bryce. For one thing, she lives over an hour away. That's never going to work for a sixteen-year-old. She wants to be a beautician. Can you imagine Bryce with a beautician? What could they possibly talk about? He needs someone who can actually converse at his level. I mean, how much time can you actually spend necking? We had the same issue for a lot of years with Sparky. We eventually got him to look for something in a girl other than bra size, didn't we? Don't worry. I'm on the job. Well, I'm off for my prom date. I've already had to pry his hand off my ass once. It looks like preliminary indications are that he is indeed going to get drunk and pass out - early."

"Wow," Chuck said as soon as Elise left. "That is one scary redhead. I didn't see that coming at all."

"Why?" Sarah said with a grin. "Men are simply drawn to Elise's ass."

"Yeah," Chuck said – with his own grin. "I actually think that I have noticed that part. I was really talking about the part about Bryce and Amy."

"I know," Sarah said softly. It was true, of course. Elise was just thinking ahead of where she was. Another thing was also true. Amy clearly wasn't the devil. She was just a nice girl – who wanted to jump on her baby. Elise, on the other hand… Was she the devil? Well, the jury was definitely still out on that one.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat in the darkened living room. She knew that she should be downstairs in the casino with the rest of the gang celebrating Janice's kicked off Presidential campaign. And the funny thing is that she really wanted to be. After all, they were having a blast.

Kate and Heather had clearly entered into an impromptu contest at the show over who could drink the most shots of tequila without passing out tonight. Heather had taken the early lead – but Katie was closing fast. It was scary how much all of a sudden Heather and Katie reminded Sarah of her and Janice at that age – especially when they were drinking. Hopefully, there weren't any wet t-shirt contests scheduled in the immediate area. Sarah didn't have much concern about Katie becoming a wet t-shirt contestant. That would be completely out of character for her. Especially since there was no way that Alex would go for it. Heather, on the other hand…

Sarah had even surprised them by tipping her head back with a shot of tequila more than once herself. It had been a while since Janice had talked Sarah into doing any shots – but they actually went down pretty smooth. And she was in a mood to go back down and drink them both under the table. After all, Sarah was never one to shy away from a competition. Especially with Janice egging her on. It would be easy. They were rookies.

Sarah wasn't sure why it was so important for her to see Bryce tonight. She wasn't worried about him – not at all. And she didn't want to give him the impression that she was checking up on him. That really wasn't it. She just wanted to see him. She just knew that it was important for her to know that he had fun tonight – that he was happy.

"Hey," Bryce said. "Why aren't you downstairs with the gang?"

Sarah actually jumped. She hadn't even heard him come in. "I forgot something," she lied.

Bryce's face said that he plainly wasn't buying it. So Sarah came clean. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "I'm not checking up on you. I promise. I just wanted to see you for a minute."

"It's okay," Bryce said with a smile. "You're allowed to check up on me. Don't worry. I still don't have anything to not tell you – not really."

Sarah laughed. "That's good to know," she said. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was amazing," Bryce said. "It was pretty much the perfect day. But…"

"But?" Sarah questioned. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Bryce quickly assured her. "Nothing's wrong. Today was perfect. It's just that… look. Yesterday getting to know my mom was the very best day of my life. Today – as perfect as it was - was only second place."

Of course Sarah was very used to sweet talking men complimenting her. She had developed a certain level of immunity to it. So why was her sixteen-year-old son able to reduce her to a quivering mess? She didn't even try to keep back the tears. "It was the best day of my life too," she was finally able to choke out. "I had a great time."

Bryce just stood there smiling for a long while. He had touched her – and he knew it. It felt great. But now it was time to let her off the hook. "Mom," he finally said. "Do men always hit on you like that? I've never noticed it before."

"I'm afraid so," Sarah said. "It happens a lot when your dad is not there – and especially someplace like that where they've been drinking. Thank you for helping me shoot them down. You were perfect."

"It was fun," Bryce said with a grin. "Oh, before I forget - Elise wanted me to clear this with you tonight. I'd like to meet Amy for breakfast in the morning downstairs. And maybe we could hang out for a while? If that's okay?"

"You'd answer your phone if I called?" Sarah asked.

"Sure," Bryce said. "Of course."

"Bryce," Sarah said slowly. "I really don't know how to say this. I know that this has to be your decision. And I know that Amy is very pretty. But just because she's willing doesn't mean… I mean, you don't have to…"

"Mom," Bryce interrupted. "Don't worry. The first time that I'm going to have something to not tell you isn't going to be with Amy. At least, it's not happening this week. My first time is going to be with someone that I love. I've already had to tell her no today – twice. I think that she understands."

Sarah smiled at her son. "Okay," she said. "Thank you for telling me. That's good to know. It's very mature."

"Umm," Bryce said with a laugh. "It's certainly a conversation that I never imagined myself having."

"Probably not," Sarah said with a laugh. "I'm very proud of you. Anyway, take the car tomorrow and take Amy to Hoover Dam."

"Are you sure that you're comfortable with that?" Bryce asked.

"I'm sure," Sarah said. "I'd rather have you do that than hang around the Strip. It's a very scenic drive in the mountains. Take a tour of the Dam and find someplace for lunch. Make a day of it. Then maybe you could invite her to have dinner with the gang. They should be recovered by then."

Bryce just stood there for a long moment. "Mom," he finally said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Sarah said with a grin. "Just please answer your phone if I call. It should be a relaxed fun day. Besides, maybe Amy should take one ride in the car while staying fully dressed."

Even in the darkened room, Sarah could see the blush travel up Bryce's neck. "Elise says that you're not going to be around much in the morning," he said in a clear attempt to change the subject. "She said that she is going to drink you unconscious tonight. She already put Amy's dad away."

Sarah was forced to laugh out loud. "She said that, did she?" she said. "We'll just see about that."

"Mom," Bryce said. "Thanks for being so cool about today. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"It wasn't easy," Sarah said with a laugh after she wiped her eyes. "I wanted to claw her eyes out. Letting go of you is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. So I'm going to hold on for as long as I possibly can. I'm sorry if I seem clingy. I'll let go when it's important. I promise."

Bryce stepped up and hugged her. "I know," he said softly. "You never have to totally let go. I don't want you to. Elise was right – about a lot of things. But…"

Sarah pulled back to look at him. "But what?" she asked.

"Well," he said. "Mom, is Elise really going to drink you under the table tonight?"

"Sweetie," Sarah laughed. "Don't you worry. Elise is pretty impressive. But the day that she can beat me - in anything - hasn't arrived yet."

"Good," Bryce said with his own laugh. "Because I think that maybe someone needs to take her down a peg or two. She is a little too confident. If you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean," Sarah said as she squeezed him as tightly as she could. "It's a little obnoxious isn't it? She definitely needs to be put in her place. Consider the assignment accepted."

"Have fun," Bryce said as he kissed her forehead. "But be careful. Too much drinking affects your judgment. A good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to one once of alcohol per hour – depending upon your individual metabolism, of course."

Suddenly Sarah realized why it was so important for her to be up here. It really wasn't a mother thing at all. She just wanted to share an important moment – with her new best friend. Sarah Bartowski had come a long way. She had come a long way from the mother that she never knew and the dad always on the hustle - even a long way from the CIA that became her surrogate family for a while. She now had friends, a soul mate, and a family that were so close that it was hard to tell which ones were actually related and which ones weren't. It was so clearly true. Her life was simply perfect. "Yes, sir," she finally said with a grin. "Don't worry about me. I'll be careful. I wouldn't want to get grounded. If you're going to worry about someone tonight, worry about your poor Aunt Elise – and after tonight how big she is going to owe your Uncle Joe."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Okay. Do we want to read about Kate, Heather, Sarah and Elise's drinking contest? With Janice playing the role of not-so-innocent bystander? What does Sarah have in mind to make Elise owe Joe one session of dress-up-night? Or is it time for the epilogue and wrapping this AU up?_

x-x-x-x-x


	47. The Object of Desire

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah needs to keep her promise to Bryce and take Elise down a peg. Unfortunately, Elise can drink like a sailor. Fortunately – Sarah knows how to cheat. Unfortunately, so does Elise. Fortunately… aww you get the idea._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**The Object of Desire**

x-x-x-x-x

By the time that Sarah got back down to the casino bar, the guys had all gone to a championship fight over at Caesar's Palace courtesy of one of Janice's supporters. The girls were… well, they were well on their way to being very… relaxed. Actually, they were doing shots in unison. Naturally, Sarah had been trained at the academy to know that there were four distinct personality types of people when they had been drinking and how to deal with them on missions. As it turned out, all four were clearly represented on the team.

One type got introspective and weepy. That was Alex. That frankly surprised Sarah a little. It was probably a sign of low self-esteem. But whatever the core reason, there was nothing to be done for the crier – except let him cry it out. No amount of talking would do any good. If anything, it just made things worse.

Another type got affectionate. Not in a sexy way – not at all - just in an annoying, constantly hugging you and kissing your ear, sort of way. That was Ellie – and even worse, Chuck - in spades. It always had been – and it was a main reason that Sarah seriously monitored his drinking. Make no mistake – Chuck was Sarah's soul mate. She couldn't even describe how much she loved him. But she dreaded being around him when he got like that. Being clung to and having your ear constantly being slobbered on was just not Sarah's idea of a good time. Even the kids had all learned to avoid Dad when he had been drinking or risk getting a metaphorical – and sometimes literal, wet ear. Fortunately, it hardly ever happened because Chuck was a very light drinker. Again, there was nothing to be done with the affectionate type – except perhaps to stay out of his way and hope that he found someone else's ear to kiss.

But that wasn't the worst type. The worst type was represented by Joe. He got aggressive and looked for trouble. Sarah had witnessed that first hand the first week that she met him when he cornered her in the laundry room and made a huge pass at her. It put somewhat of a strain on their relationship for years. That event was still the core reason that Joe and Janice didn't get along some twenty years later. Luckily he learned his lesson from that night and always avoided drinking much. Sarah knew that was the real reason why he didn't come on this trip. He didn't want to be put into a situation where he would be tempted to join the team in a huge celebration. And Sarah had to admit, she was relieved by that decision. She had totally forgiven Joe. He was not only one of her very best friends - Joe was part of her family. She could honestly say that she loved him with zero reservation. And she had received absolutely no indication from him over the years that he would ever again do anything inappropriate – but she still didn't want to be around him when he was drinking. Fortunately, Elise must have sensed as much – because anytime Joe ever had as much as a second drink, she rode herd over him like a Shepard dog over her flock. With the aggressive type, you quickly had a choice to make. You either gave in – or you fought. There really wasn't much middle ground.

The final drinking type got silly. That was actually the most common, which was good – because that was the type that was the most fun to be around. Katie and Heather were clearly the silly type. The only down side to the silly type is that they commonly relaxed their personal inhibitions and did things that they never would do while sober. Sarah knew that full well. Janice had used it against her many times when they were younger. Fortunately, those days were long past. In fact, it was amazing how much Janice had changed over the years. Now Janice was the Conservative Senator. As a matter of fact, Sarah knew that it was Janice that would make sure that nothing untoward happened tonight. She was watching over Katie, and even Heather to a lesser extent, like a mother hen. It was sometimes fun to see how far you could push the silly type and see what outrageous things you could get them to do. Or you could just sit back and enjoy the silliness.

It was good that Janice was on guard duty – and even better that Joe hadn't made the trip, for several reasons. Sarah needed to be free to carry out her plot… umm, make that mission preparation on Elise without worrying about Kate and Heather – and the line of men that were waiting to hit on them. It also helped that Joe wasn't around. It was true that Sarah didn't mind making Elise… well, uncomfortable with Joe. And actually, Joe was going to be the main beneficiary of this plan - but she really didn't want to rub the poor guys face in it.

Typically, Sarah would have run her plan by Chuck first. But the guys had all gone to the fight. Besides, this was a simple plan. What possibly could go wrong?

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky was really torn. It was tough being the only sober one in a crowd of drunken rowdies. And it didn't have to be that way. They would have easily served him. Nobody even questioned if he was twenty-one yet. But he knew there were several very good reasons why he shouldn't drink.

For one thing, he didn't want to reflect badly on Aunt Janice. She had just announced that she was running for President a few hours ago. The last thing that she needed was any publicity of someone who was on the platform with her accused of underage drinking. The press was just looking for any story that could reflect badly on her.

Then there was his new bride. Frankly, she was drinking enough tonight for both of them anyway. That was fine with Sparky. He loved seeing her have a good time. Heather and Katie were giggling so hard for most of the night that Sparky couldn't understand what they were even saying. He actually felt great that Heather was comfortable enough around her new family to let her hair down. It's just that he knew he was going to have to be there for her sometime tonight. That's okay. Heather would owe him a good time – and she wasn't bashful about paying off.

But if Sparky was really honest, the real reason was that he knew that his mom wouldn't approve. Oh, he knew that she would never say anything to him. After all, he was a grown married man. But still…

Besides, Sparky had his own problems. Here he was stuck at this stupid fight. For one thing, boxing wasn't his favorite sport. He would have had a much better time staying with the girls. But that wasn't the real problem. Here he was stuck sitting between Alex and his dad. Fortunately, Alex was really into the fight. That was a little surprising. But, at least, it earned Sparky a welcome albeit brief respite from listening to him crying over how bad his life had been as a teen. Unfortunately it did absolutely nothing about Dad continually hugging him as if he was three… oh, or kissing his ear incessantly.

Sparky had never had a drink before. He didn't even know what it felt like – but anything had to be better than this.

x-x-x-x-x

Elise tipped back the shot of tequila and slammed the shot glass upside down on the bar with a confident air of – well, confidence. "Did Bryce clear him hanging out with Amy tomorrow morning with you?" she asked. The twinkle in her eye told everybody in the bar that she was feeling pretty good about life in general – and especially about herself specifically.

Sarah looked at Elise with a mixture of emotions. Most of her was terribly proud. Elise had really grown over the years. She used to be this sad, almost tragic, little girl who had no confidence and even less self esteem. Now look at her. She was such an amazing woman. She simply exuded confidence. And there could be absolutely no question that she was incredibly beautiful. The fact of the matter was that it was Elise who now turned the most heads. And actually, that was part of the problem. Elise had grown a little too confident. Sarah knew that it was her role as team lead, and more importantly, as her friend to gently – or maybe not so gently – bring her back down to earth. She also knew that her whole plan hinged on Elise buying this next part, so she held her own glass and looked at it pensively before setting it gently on the bar. "He did," she sighed. "I was going to let him take her to Hoover Dam in the car tomorrow. It's too bad."

Elise did a double take – just like Sarah knew that she would. "Too bad?" she asked. "Why is that bad? It's a great idea."

"Amy called," Sarah said. "She thinks that they are going to head back home tomorrow."

"What?" Elise exclaimed. "Why would they do that?"

"It seems that her dad is embarrassed by what happened with you tonight," Sarah said. "I'm assuming that you gave him the drug – and then the antidote." It was pure guess on Sarah's part of course - but the CIA drug that mimicked passing out from drinking had two cures. The normal one, sleeping it off, left the victim with all the side effects of the nastiest of hangovers. On the other hand, the antidote left the victim feeling relatively fine only a very few minutes later. Sarah figured that Elise would want to spare the poor guy the worst hangover that he had ever had.

Sarah could see the gears spinning in Elise's head. "I did," she said as she nodded. "He's really not that bad of a guy. I just didn't want…"

Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I know," she said soothingly. "Don't worry about it. At least, Bryce had one good day. There will be other chances."

Elise was already on her feet. "He needs tomorrow," she said. "That was the whole point. He needs to spend a casual, relaxed, fun day to realize that a girl will like him for him – not because he is romancing her. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked – even though she already knew.

"I need to fix this," Elise said.

"Sweetie," Sarah said. "You have to learn. You can't fix everything. Bryce will be fine. Besides, what about our bet?"

"Keep track," Elise called over her shoulder as she walked away. "I'll catch up when I get back. I'm going to talk to Bobby. This is important."

As soon as Elise left, Janice leaned in with her classic cat-just-ate-the-canary look. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Sarah grinned back at her. "Nothing," she said. "Elise likes to feel needed. I'm… Well, I'm helping her."

"You're helping her?" Janice asked incredulously. "Or teaching her a lesson?"

"A little of both," Sarah replied. "Elise needs to lighten up. Don't you think?"

Janice's smile faded… a little. "That's a pretty dangerous game you're playing," she said. "If Elise goes over there to sweet talk this guy – you know how he's going to interpret that. You're also aware that Elise's relationship with Joe is her life, right? She grew from a scared girl into a woman when she met him."

"Wait a minute," Sarah said with a laugh. "You're the one who keeps saying that Joe had nothing to do with that. You can't stand him. Besides, I think Elise is experienced enough to handle one amorous suitor. After all, she's in the big leagues. She'll spend a night peeling his hand off various parts of her body, she'll feel guilty and tell Joe, and he'll use that to get a reward. I confess, Elise feels foolish, gets taken down a peg, and Joe gets a wild night - works for me."

"It's not that I can't stand Joe," Janice protested. "I just don't know him very well."

"I don't see how that is ever going to change," Sarah said. "You won't spend ten minutes in the same room with him."

"Come on, Sarah," Janice said with a growing edge in her voice. "You know full well why that is."

"I know," Sarah said. "And I really wish that you could get over that. It was twenty years ago. I am completely over it. I have been for years. Joe feels horrible about that night. He's really a great guy. If you gave him half a chance, I'll bet that you would see that."

"Is Chuck on board with this plan?" Janice asked skeptically in a clear attempt to change the subject. "He's pretty protective of Elise."

"Why does everyone think that Chuck is the only one who can execute a mission plan?" Sarah asked in a frustrated tone. "I have been a CIA agent for over twenty-five years, you know? I have planned my fair share of missions. Besides – Chuck is drunk as a skunk. I'll tell you what. You go run it by him and see what he thinks."

That got a grin from Janice – finally. "No thanks," she said. "I'll leave it to you to have your ear kissed off. After all, you're his wife. I'm getting all of that I can handle tonight from his sister."

"Umm," Sarah said. "And don't you have your own problems?" She nodded her head in the direction of the three men that were gathered around a giggling Kate and Heather.

"Damn," Janice said as she got up to shoo them away. "I thought that Ellie was watching them. You can't turn your head for a second with those two. They're freaking men magnets. They're worse then you were at that age."

"Me?" Sarah asked in feigned innocence. "Remember those brothers in Atlanta? Speaking of magnets - they followed you all the way back to Washington."

Janice just laughed. "I do remember," she said. "That was a long time ago. By the way, thanks again for leaving me with both of them. I still owe you for that. Just what was I supposed to do with two brothers?"

"You're welcome," Sarah said with her own laugh. "If I remember right, that was a wild night."

"You just be careful with Elise," Janice said. "Speaking of wild nights. She likes to get even. Order us another drink. I'll be right back."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise wasn't gone all that long. That didn't necessarily surprise Sarah. What did surprise Sarah was that she was dragging Amy's dad behind her. But she still seemed in a festive mood. "Hey guys," she said. "You remember Bobby, right? How many shots am I behind?"

"Three," Janice said as she pointed to the bar. "We ordered them for you."

"Janice," Elise said as she tipped up the first shot. "Can you take Bobby and get him a drink? He has some serious catching up to do."

Janice could see in Elise's eyes that she wanted to be alone with Sarah for a minute – so she smiled. "Sure," she said. "Anything for a supporter. Let's step to the bar, Bobby. What are you drinking tonight?"

Bobby thought about it for a second. "Well," he said. "Maybe…"

"It doesn't matter," Janice said with a laugh as she led him away. "Forget that I asked. We're drinking tequila. By the way – did you enjoy the speech?"

As soon as they stepped away, Elise leaned into Sarah. "That was a close one," she whispered. "He was going to leave. I had to do some pretty sweet talking to change his mind. I had to promise him that we would spend some time in the Jacuzzi later. We dropped his suit and a change of clothes off in my room. He clearly thinks that he's getting lucky. It was a struggle getting him out of there as it was. It looks like I have a prom date for the rest of the night."

"Why would he possibly think that?" Sarah asked sarcastically as she shook her head. "Elise, why don't you just tell him the truth? It's not worth it."

"No way," Elise said with a surprised grin. "This is too important for Bryce. It is completely worth it. Besides – I'm still looking forward to seeing you face down tonight."

"Well," Sarah said with her own grin. "You can look forward all that you want – but I think that you might just be disappointed. I'm pretty competitive – and I was doing this when you were still in Junior High School. We still have a bet, right?"

Just then Sarah heard Kate scream. "Uncle Joe," she said. "You made it."

"Crap," Elise said as she looked over in horror to where Kate was hugging Joe. "How is Joe here? He must have decided to come after all. Sarah, you have to keep him occupied for me."

"No way," Sarah said as she shook her head firmly. "There is no way that I'm getting in the middle of this. Abort your mission. Tell him the truth."

"Okay," Elise said frantically. "You can tell him the truth. But I can't abort. This can still work if you just help me a little. Joe will understand - to a point – but if he gets jealous we have a big problem. That would be a huge scene that would draw press coverage. Under no circumstances can he find Bobby's clothes in our room. He'd go nuts. If you can just keep Joe's attention away from what Bobby is doing… Talk to him a little. Maybe dance with him a few times."

"Come on, Elise," Sarah said. "You're asking me to flirt with Joe? Just tell Bobby the truth and end this."

Elise grabbed Sarah's hand. "You don't understand me at all, do you?" she asked sadly. "If you did, you'd know how much I need this. Well, I guess maybe you wouldn't. After all, you're good at everything. I'm… well, we both know that I'm… not good at hardly anything. I'd ask Janice but you know the issue there. The guys are all gone. What's the problem with a little harmless flirting – just until the guys get back? There is no way that Joe would ever read that the wrong way. You're one of his very best friends. Chuck is his best friend. Look… I need your help. Please just let me be good at this one stupid thing. You can still be best at… well, everything else. Bryce needs this… and so do I. Please…"

Sarah looked into Elise's eyes – and saw the desperation. It reminded her of the Elise of twenty years ago – and she immediately felt guilty. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll keep Joe occupied – for a while."

Elise's face showed her relief. "Thanks, Sarah," she said as she squeezed her hand. "I knew that I could count on you."

x-x-x-x-x

_Ten minutes earlier – in the hotel lobby_

"Elise," Bobby said. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I didn't realize that you were married."

"Don't worry about it," Elise said. "How could you have known? Thank you for being such a good sport about this. He should be here any second."

"Hey," Bobby said with a laugh. "I'm always up for a good practical joke. Especially when it means that I get to spend the evening with such a beautiful lady. How did your husband get here so quickly, anyway?"

"Aren't you sweet?" Elise said. "He was already on his way. Our son is spending the night with a friend. He was coming to join the celebration. This just worked out."

As they were talking, Joe walked up behind Elise and put his arms around her waist.

"Speak of the devil," Elise said with a smile as she kissed him. "Joe, I'd like you to meet my friend, Bobby."

"It's nice to meet you," Joe said as they shook hands warmly. Then he turned back to Elise with a grin. "Are you sure that you want to do this?" he asked. "This is pretty much going nuclear. This is a touchy area for Sarah. She is going to be pretty pissed. She is going to want to get back at you."

The sparkle in Elise's eyes left no doubt as to her mood. "Don't worry about Sarah," she said with a laugh. "She is in the big leagues. Besides, she made her own bed here. She made a stupid mistake. Did she really think that I wouldn't check with Bryce first before I went running over there? She must think I'm still a rookie. She thinks that she can mess with the bull – well, she is going to get the horns."

"Speaking of horns," Joe said. "Just how far are you expecting me to go? I sure as hell don't want her kicking me again. That hurt for a month."

"I seriously don't think it's going to come to that," Elise laughed. "She's going to be the one flirting with you. Just play along for a while. When I give you the signal, we'll spring our trap. Just the thought when she realizes that you're drunk and trying to get her alone… well, that should have Agent Walker wetting her pants. She'll be so relieved that it's a joke that she won't even think about being pissed. Trust me, I know Sarah. She'll never know what hit her."

"Umm," Bobby said. "Speaking of kicking things… Joe, I just want to make sure that you're not going to… umm… misunderstand anything. You're a pretty big guy."

Joe laughed – and slapped Bobby on the back. "Relax," he said. "I'm not the jealous type – at least not on a mission. You're just playing a role. Besides – I'm being most generously rewarded." Then he turned to Elise. "Isn't that right, Lise?"

Elise's light complexion made it very clear when she was blushing – and she most definitely currently was. It was incredibly cute. "Yes, Joe," she said with a pained smile. "We have a deal. Pull this off for me – and you've earned your special reward."

"No limits?" Joe asked with a grin.

"Yes, sweetie," Elise sighed. "No limits."

x-x-x-x-x


	48. Down a Peg

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Sarah isn't having the best of nights. Let's see if she can turn that around._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Down a Peg**

x-x-x-x-x

The evening wasn't really going the way Sarah had originally expected it to… not at all. But one good thing was – she was clearly winning her bet with Elise. Okay, so she was cheating. When Elise was gone Sarah made a deal with the bartender that every other shot of what was supposed to be her tequila was actually water. It was ridiculously easy. For one thing, like most of the country, he had watched her devastate Daniel Shaw on TV – live. That meant he was eager to get on her good side. And even if that wasn't true, the one extra button opened on her blouse meant that he would have drunk the tequila himself had she asked it of him – standing on his head. Naturally, Sarah had a sixth sense to know when a man was looking down her shirt – but she didn't need it tonight. He was making absolutely no attempt to hide it. Maybe he wasn't that afraid of her after all. The hundred dollar chip that she slipped into his hand, courtesy of her husband's earlier amazing prowess at blackjack, was simply icing on the cake. It wasn't necessary. There was no way that he would betray her.

Under normal circumstances, Sarah would have buttoned her shirt back up, ordered shots until Elise didn't know where she was, turned her over to Joe who would carry her back up to their room, and… well, that was as much as she really wanted to know.

But tonight wasn't normal. It was actually far, far from normal. For one thing, Kate and Heather had clearly crossed the line from silly to shit-faced. Fortunately, Janice and Ellie were watching them like a bulldog watched a bone lying on the floor. So that was one less worry that Sarah had – which was good. Because she had all she could handle as it was.

Tonight really wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a happy celebration topped off by her watching Elise make a fool of herself – both with tequila and with Amy's dad. Okay, so those were both Sarah's own fault. Still, things would have worked out perfectly – except Joe had to show up.

Then there was Joe. What was with him tonight? Joe was normally so not the jealous type. And for very good reason. He clearly worshiped Elise just as much as she clearly worshiped him – and everybody knew it. Nobody understood what female agents did better than Joe. So why was he constantly looking over at Elise dancing with Bobby – with gritted teeth?

"Look at her," Joe growled as he tipped up his shot of tequila and slammed the glass down on the table. 'She's letting him put his hands all over her ass – right in front of me. Tell me that she doesn't know what she's doing."

Sarah reached out and grabbed Joe's arm. "Come on, sweetie," she said soothingly. "I explained this to you already. Elise is running a scam on this guy. You know the deal. This isn't real. It's a mission."

"Bullshit," Joe muttered. "I surprise her by showing up when she didn't expect me – and I find her with another guy. Mission? That's pretty convenient. I'll bet she had another mission earlier – probably with the same guy."

Sarah did a double take. If he only knew how right he was. And she had to admit – Elise and Bobby were putting on quite the show on that dance floor. It was on the edge of being inappropriate. Elise was currently pressed into him. She was clearly pressing her chest into his. Was she actually kissing his neck? That's farther than she would ever have to go to keep him interested – especially knowing that Joe was watching. Sarah was starting to get a sinking feeling. Something wasn't right. "Joe," she said. "What's really wrong? This isn't like you. You know that Elise would never really cheat on you. She's an agent. She's on a mission. Okay, I'll admit – it's a silly mission. But still…"

"I just wish that was true," Joe sighed. "I might as well come clean. Lise and I haven't wanted to worry our friends – but the truth is we haven't been getting along all that well lately. We've even talked about the possibility of a trial separation. Clearly she is telling me that she's ready for that to begin. But actually seeing her with another man… I have to do something."

Sarah's alarms were going off. When she told Elise that she would flirt with Joe, she had no idea that they were having a relationship crisis. That changed the whole dynamic. Now Joe would interpret any flirting from her as… The thought was too weird to continue. But the last thing that she wanted was for Joe to confront Elise and Bobby here in the club. For one thing, Sarah was floored to hear him say that they were having problems. Floored, that didn't come close. She wanted to start bawling. A trial separation? That was crazy. Where was that even coming from? Sarah hadn't suspected a thing. In the hospital the other night, they were all over each other. But one thing was for sure. If they were having problems, a public fight would be the worst possible thing for their relationship. And that was the top priority – getting her best friends back in a good place.

Then there was poor Bobby. He was an innocent bystander in all of this. Joe was a big strong man – who was trained to kill people with his bare hands. If he got physical with Bobby, it simply wasn't going to end well. Sarah knew that she had to keep that from happening, no matter what. And if that meant actually keeping Joe's attention off that dance floor – well, that's what it meant. So she did what she had to do. She put her most beaming smile on her face. "Joe," she said. "I want you to look at me. You're being silly. All couples have problems sometimes – but Elise worships you. I know that for sure - because she's told me. Now here's what is going to happen. You are going to show me a good time tonight. We're going to dance and talk and laugh – and pretend that Elise isn't even here. Then tomorrow, you and Elise are going to sit down and talk this thing out. Deal?"

Sarah could see the beginnings of a smile on Joe's face. He reached over and rubbed her arm. Then it happened. He let his eyes wander down her body – from the top of her head – to the tips of her toes – and back again. He even stopped on both trips to linger at her chest. What was up with that? "Well," he said. "If I'm going to pretend to be single for a night, I guess I could do worse than one of the sexiest women in the whole world."

Now Sarah's alarms were really going off. Pretend to be single? What in the hell did that mean? Sure, she was willing to flirt a little. Okay, maybe even more than a little if that's what it took to prevent a disaster. But the very, very, very last thing that she wanted was to send any wrong signals to Joe. If he made a move, that would put a strain on their friendship that would take a long time to get over. This night was simply quickly turning into a train wreck. Fortunately, she was saved from having to say anything by Janice walking up – with Kate in tow behind her.

"Uncle Joe," Kate said with a giggle. "You owe me a dance. You never danced with the bride."

Of course, there was no way for Joe to refuse such a request. As soon as he and Kate left, Janice plopped down in the chair that Joe had been sitting in. The grin on her face clearly said that she was very pleased with life in general. Sarah assumed that Janice was simply rubbing it in. After all, I-told-you-so was her favorite phrase. "Okay," Sarah sighed. "I can see that you're having a good time. Let me have it. You were right. This night is a disaster. I'm going to have to figure out how to keep Joe from killing Bobby, while at the same time keep Joe's hands out of my shirt. Oh, and keep Chuck from killing Joe."

"Don't judge so quickly," Janice said with a laugh. "The night is still young. I have a feeling that it might just pick up a little for you when you hear this news. Bobby must not know how close we are. Because, guess what he told me when I was getting him his drink?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sparky had to admit – this night was starting to be fun. Even though boxing wasn't his favorite sport, all of the fights had been exciting. The one they were currently watching had turned into a barn burner. It was hard to not get excited about it – especially with Alex sitting next to him screaming with every punch. And they hadn't even gotten to the main event yet.

And there was that. It was hard to sit there and watch your best friend have so much fun – without wanting to join in. And the best part was that he was actually beginning to sober up – a little. So was Dad. He hadn't kissed his ear in three rounds now.

But Sparky had to admit the real reason that he was having such a good time. For the first time, he was now accepted as part of the men. Uncle Casey had even offered him a cigar. Naturally, the very last thing that Sparky would ever do would be to light up a cigar. So why did it feel so great to be offered one? Then he grinned as he answered his own question. Sparky had finally crossed that invisible but very real line - the line that separated the boys from the men.

"Come on," Alex yelled in semi-disgust. "Go for the body." Unfortunately, the fighter that he was rooting for clearly didn't take his advice – or the advice wasn't that sound. Because a right hand to his jaw sent him crashing to the canvas. As they leapt to their feet to celebrate the knock-out, Alex locked eyes with him. He was clearly having a blast. And, even though he didn't say any words, the grin on Alex's face – and his slap on Sparky's back felt… well, wonderful.

It felt so good that he didn't even miss his new wife – much.

x-x-x-x-x

Actually, Sarah's first reaction was relief. Joe and Elise's marriage wasn't in trouble. That would be hard to take. She loved them both. But then the realization of what had just happened hit her – between the eyes. "Sonofabitch," she said under her breath as she slumped into her chair. "You have got to be kidding me. Elise would really use Joe against me like that? Knowing our history? That's pretty low."

"You have to admit," Janice said when she could finally control her laughing. "You started it. And it was a perfect scam. Let's face it. You bought it hook, line, and sinker. You thought that he was about to make a huge pass at you. We both know that's true. The real question is what are you going to do about it?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sarah asked incredulously. "A big part of me is relieved - very relieved. I was starting to get really worried. A pass was the least of it. One thing is clear. Joe has to pay. And even more, a certain redhead has to pay - double. Trust me, it is so on."

"I figured as much," Janice said. "What do you want me to do?"

"You?" Sarah asked in a shocked tone. "I thought you were the one you didn't want any trouble tonight?"

"That was a few shots of tequila ago," Janice laughed. "Besides, you're right. She needs to be taken down a peg. I love her – but this is getting ridiculous."

"Actually," Sarah said with an evil grin. "I do have an assignment for you. Welcome to team Sarah."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat patiently at the table waiting for Joe to get done dancing with Kate. It took a few more minutes because Heather insisted that she also get a bridal dance. Sarah took the opportunity to give herself a pep talk. She knew that she had to keep from laughing. That really wasn't going to be a problem. Spy training was designed to prepare you for these types of situations. She thought about going upstairs and changing. After all, she was still wearing the fairly conservative blouse and skirt that she had on for the dinner with Bryce and Amy – and this was war. But she finally decided that she didn't have time. Besides, one extra button – and this outfit would be sexy enough. That's the other thing that spy training had taught her.

Sexy was a state of mind.

Sarah knew that she was about to scare Joe to his core. Tough. He clearly had it coming. So she scooted as close to Joe as she could. She knew that grabbing both of his hands would force him to face her. She also knew when she leaned forward that his entire field of vision would be filled with – well, Sarah's assets. "Joe," she said. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more sensitive. I needed to be there for you guys. Elise has been telling me for a few months now that she wasn't happy. I didn't realize that it was to this extent. Probably because I just didn't want for it to be true. I always thought that you two kids were meant for each other. I should have taken her more seriously."

That caused Joe's head to snap up in surprise. "Lise has talked to you?" he asked. "She told you that she's not happy?"

Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the fear in his eyes. "Don't worry, sweetie," she said soothingly as she nodded her head. "All couples go through a phase where the passion fades away. They stop exciting each other at some point in their relationship. You just have to figure out a way to relight that flame."

Joe's mouth fell open. "Lise told you that she's not excited anymore?" he asked numbly. "When did she say that?"

"Come on, Joe," Sarah said. "You have to keep this in perspective. Having fantasies about other men when you're making love with your husband probably isn't all that unusual. And I'm sure that most women fake orgasms at one time or another."

Joe did a double take. "Lise actually told you that she fakes orgasms?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, no, sweetie," Sarah said. "Not every time. She said only about half the times. Although she did say it was getting worse lately. But don't you worry. I'm going to help you get that fire back."

Joe was clearly stunned. He slumped back in his chair sadly. So Sarah grabbed his finger and twisted it until she was sure that she had his undivided attention. "It's not too much fun to be messed with," she said. "Is it? I know that you and Elise have been messing with me tonight. As you can probably surmise, I'm not really all that happy about it. With our history, I would have hoped for a little more sensitivity from you."

To Joe's credit, he kept his composure. "You know?" he asked. "How did you find out?"

"That's not really important," Sarah said with a grim smile. "Is it? If I were you, I'd want to know what my options were to survive tonight."

"Sarah, please," Joe said. "Can you let go of my finger and we can discuss this rationally? For the record, I was against this. Lise… well, she sort of talked me into it. I'm very sorry if you're mad at me. It was meant as a joke. I love you. I love Chuck. I would never want to do anything to hurt our friendship."

"I'm not mad," Sarah said as she released his finger. "I'm not mad at all. For the record, we love you too. There isn't much you could possibly do that would hurt our friendship. We're family. And I'll admit, you guys really had me going. But I can't let that go un-avenged. It wouldn't be right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. So I'm going to give you a choice. Help me get my revenge and profit from it – or be destroyed by it."

"So," Joe sighed as he slumped into his chair and rubbed his finger. "You were just getting back at me about Lise not being happy. That was cruel. She's my life."

"Okay," Sarah said as she reached for his finger again. "But maybe not quite as cruel as telling me that my best friends were thinking about a trial separation. And that I was about to have to pry your hand off my chest – again."

That actually got the beginning of a smile. "Okay," Joe said as he moved his hand out of her reach. "Yes, point well taken." Then the smile turned sad. "Sarah, please," he pleaded. "Have a little pity here. Lise promised me… umm… a reward. One that I'm really looking forward too."

"Don't worry," Sarah said. "Come through for me and I'll make sure that you get your stupid dress-up-night."

"From Lise?" Joe said slowly as his face broke into a grin. But then he saw the look on her face. "Hey, I'm just checking. You're kind of starting to really freak me out."

"Yes, Joe," Sarah said with her own grin. "Most definitely from Elise."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Bartowski tried to get his mind back on his speech recognition circuit. After all, there was definitely a heat problem. There was no way to submit his invention to any commercial companies like this. It had to be solved for his project to be called a success. And Bryce's specialty was solving problems. But the real problem was – well, one that he couldn't solve. His mind was simply someplace else. Bryce had just told his mom that today was only the second best day of his life – and he meant it. But if he had to judge the best hour of his life, it would clearly be today's limo ride. And not just because of the second base thing. Although, like most sixteen year old guys, that was a moment he had been dreaming about for… well, forever. But that wasn't it totally. It was more the fact that she clearly liked him.

Oh, Bryce had no illusion of anything grander. Amy didn't love him. She never would. And he didn't love her. She really wasn't even his type. Come on - she was a freaking homecoming queen. Back at school, she would have been going out with a football player and wouldn't have ever given Bryce a second glance. That was just a cold hard fact. This was nothing more than a fling to keep her from being bored on vacation with her dad. In a very real way, she was using him. And the truth was, even that was okay. Because Bryce knew what Elise and his mom were trying to do. And they had succeeded by this measure.

Bryce Bartowski now knew that there was a girl somewhere out there for him. He also knew that when he found her, he would have an honest shot. That's what today had done. And all-in-all, that was a very, very good thing. Of course, Bryce was also smart enough to know that it meant that Aunt Elise would now be dragging him all over the State of California looking for her. But even that was okay. More than okay – it was… sweet. And truthfully, Bryce could think of a lot of people that he would have less fun being around then Aunt Elise. Sure, he had always had a huge crush on her – but it was more than that. She was simply a blast to be around.

Bryce was startled out of his daydream by a knock at the door. Somebody was clearly here to check up on him. He grinned as he tried to guess who had drawn that duty. Probably Aunt Ellie, she was the worry-wart of the family. Some national hero. Can't even stay in his hotel room on a guarded floor alone for an hour without someone checking up on him.

"Amy," Bryce said in surprise as he opened the door. "How did you get up here? The guards aren't supposed to let anyone up."

"My name was on the list," Amy said as she leaned in to gently kiss him.

"My Aunt Elise must have done that," Bryce said.

"Well, she thinks of everything," Amy said with a smile. "Can I come in?"

"Wow, Amy," Bryce said hesitantly. "I'm not sure that my mom – or your dad would be wild about us being up here alone."

"I'm sure that they wouldn't," Amy said. "That's why we're not going to tell them."

"I thought that we were going to meet tomorrow for breakfast," Bryce said as he moved out of the way and allowed Amy to enter the room. "Then we were going to drive to Hoover Dam. Are we still going?"

"Of course, silly," Amy said. "I was just bored sitting all alone. I figured you would be bored. My dad is down partying with your family. I figured…" Amy paused as she looked around. "Oh my God," she suddenly said. "This suite is fabulous. Look at that Jacuzzi. And that view. We have to get in."

Bryce blushed. "I didn't bring my suit," he said.

Amy grinned at Bryce's discomfort. "You're so cute," she said as she held out her hands. "Do you see me carrying my suit? Besides, you've already seen most of what I'm about to show you. Aren't we past that? Seems only fair that you return the favor. Come on. It will be fun."

x-x-x-x-x


	49. Congratulations, Madame President

_I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway._

_Okay folks. It's time that we wrapped this story up._

_I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review._

**Congratulations, Madame President**

x-x-x-x-x

It was an unusually cold January day in Washington. It was so cold and windy that there was even some talk about moving the ceremony indoors. But tradition finally prevailed.

"_I, Janice Beckman-Casey, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."_

_The Chief Justice smiled and extended his right hand. "Congratulations, Madame President," he said._

_Janice smiled and shook his offered hand. Then she took back the family bible that she had taken the oath on – and hugged her husband for a long moment. Then she moved to her Mom._

Kate stood and watched the ceremony. Well, she tried to watch anyway. The truth of the matter was that she couldn't see anything through the tears that had filled her eyes. She knew that Alex was standing next to her holding her hand – but honestly she couldn't feel him. She was so overwhelmed by the moment. It had been a truly incredible two years.

Fortunately, the primary battle went very smoothly. Any serious candidate could see that it was a forgone conclusion that Janice would be the party's nominee. So they raced each other to see which one could be first and most vocal in offering Janice their support. But even a smooth primary season was exhausting. They traveled to a different state every single day. Kate had listened to Janice's stump speech so often that they started making it a game to see if she could throw in an ad-lib or two.

Kate was often so exhausted that she began to worry about her marriage – for a while anyway. But she quickly came to the realization that any worry was beyond silly. Alex was her rock. Even though there were times when they didn't see each other for days at a time, and even when they did see each other she was too tired to pay much attention - he never, ever once made her feel guilty. The fact of the matter was that he was working just as hard as she was. It was just that Alex's work was behind the camera and Kate was mostly in front of it. But he never failed to take whatever time it took to ensure that Kate felt loved. He even turned into somewhat of a romantic. It was so cute how he always thought of creative ways to constantly remind her of how very much he loved her – even when they weren't together. And yes, during the campaign Kate had been hit on – a lot. Janice always kidded her that she now had joined an exclusive club – women that had been hit on in all fifty states. But Alex never expressed one shred of jealousy. Well, except for that one time at the national convention. But those guys certainly had it coming. After all, being drunk wasn't an excuse to behave like that. And even then, it was Mom who threw the first punch. Well, actually, it might have been a kick. But it was like old times. Even if the brawl did become a fairly embarrassing media story for the political party that lasted for a few days. It certainly livened up a convention that could use some drama. The results had been known for months.

The days of the general election campaign became a blur of planes, busses, limos, and different cities. They were so far ahead in the polls that there was a big temptation to take it easy for a while. But it was actually Alex who would never let them. He always ranted about how much you had to respect an election. Poor Alex, he was so nervous. He spent most of election night in the bathroom, refusing to believe the early exit polls that confirmed what everybody already knew – this night would be over quickly. Kate wasn't sure who she felt sorrier for – Alex or the poor network anchors. They had a long standing agreement that they wouldn't call the election results until the polls closed on the west coast. But it was plainly obvious early that this was a rout. Once the former blue strongholds of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan turned red, there simply wasn't any mathematical way to lose. Even Alex started to smile. But those poor network guys had to look into that camera and pretend that there was still some drama for three hours. The President conceded ten minutes after the polls closed in California. And Janice – no, make that President-elect Casey was making her victory speech ten minutes after that in the same ballroom where they had celebrated her Senate victory. It was the earliest victory speech in modern history.

One thing that Kate did worry about was her family. Worry wasn't even the right word. She just missed them so terribly – especially her new sister. And even though she found time to talk to Heather on the phone almost every day, it just wasn't the same. They still joked about how drunk they got in Vegas that night – and how sick they both were the next morning. Tonight promised to be every bit as big of a celebration. There was only one small problem. And actually it was becoming a bigger problem by the day. Heather was really starting to show. No way could she get drunk being six months pregnant. It looked like Mom was going to soon get her first grandkid to train.

That's why Kate finally decided to take the public relations job. After all, she had done what she set out to do. Aunt Janice was now President. Kate also knew that she would hate the daily White House grind of policy and foreign relations crisis stuff. And for one thing, the bidding was getting north of ridiculous. But the money wasn't even the main thing. That's why she finally decided to take the job with the produce conglomerate. They weren't offering the most money, far from it. The defense contractors were climbing all over themselves to have Kate represent them. It was obvious that Dad was right. They clearly just wanted her connection to the new President. Kate refused to cash in on that. So she took the lower paying job. Still, twenty million over five years was nothing to sneeze at.

Kate teased Bryce that she just wanted to make the most money in the family again. But she knew that it was only a matter of time before his next invention passed her once more. Kate always got a kick out of talking to her microwave. She would always pretend that she was talking to Bryce. After all, it was his speech recognition circuit that made it possible. It was just an added bonus that now she would be making more money than Sparky ever would as a doctor. She was currently having a lot of fun pointing out that a doctor's salary was well below the family average. In fact it was nothing short of a major disappointment. She jokingly called him the black sheep of the family. Of course, Mom was quick to point out that a public relations representative would never cure cancer. Come on Mom. That was uncalled for – funny – but uncalled for. After all, Sparky didn't need Mom's help. He could certainly defend himself.

But much more importantly then the money, she would now be based in Los Angeles. Alex always teased her that she just wanted to be home to watch Sparky change his first messy diaper. And the honest truth was he wasn't that far off. But the real reason was even more fundamental.

They were simply having too much fun that Kate was missing out on. Mom and Elise had gotten so close after Vegas that they were now inseparable. They had clearly forgiven each other about that night. But Kate could still see the look of horror on Elise's face when she thought that Dad and Joe were fighting over Mom in the club. She had so obviously fallen for it – hook, line, and sinker. The panic on her face while she watched them rolling around on that floor… When they all started laughing, she didn't know if Elise was more relieved – or pissed. It was a great, great moment. Even better, Joe and Janice took that opportunity to finally clear the air between them. Kate could see Mom and Elise standing together on the other side of the platform. Mom was laughing at whatever Elise had just whispered into her ear. Oh, they were still competitive. If anything, that had gotten worse. But they both now agreed to leave the guys out of it – which suited the guys just fine. Kate honestly couldn't wait to see what they would cook up at the parties tonight. Hopefully, whatever it was wouldn't make it into the press.

She also really missed Bryce. It was funny. Bryce and Amy had hung in there a lot better than anybody expected. Amy clearly cared for him more than they had originally thought. Like everybody, Kate assumed that Bryce was just a fling to keep her from being bored while on vacation. But it was proving to be much more than that. At first glance, they didn't seem to be each other's type – at all. But they clearly had something. Oh, they had gone through a couple of stretches where they agreed to see other people. After all, being an hour's drive apart was almost certainly a fatal flaw in a high school student's relationship. Elise had worked hard to hook Bryce up with several girls. Kate had even met a couple of them. But he never seemed relaxed. And somehow he and Amy always found a way to get back together. Now that they were both out of high school, maybe they could make it work - especially now that Bryce was a teenaged millionaire / inventor / college student / national hero. They had even talked about getting an apartment together. Kate wasn't sure yet how much they had told Mom – or even how she would react to the news. After all, Bryce was clearly still Mom's baby. And there was still more than a little tension between Mom and Amy from the scene in Vegas when she walked in on them naked in the Jacuzzi. But Mom was coming around. They had a long talk on Christmas day – after she calmed down. And once she became convinced that Amy actually loved Bryce, it made a huge difference. She could see them standing there on the other side of Mom and Elise. They were snuggled together keeping each other warm. They sure looked content. Elise was certainly right about one thing – you never forgot your first love.

But if Kate was truly honest, the one that she had missed the most was Dad. He just had this way of making you feel comfortable. There was one thing about Dad, he could always make you laugh. And Mom and Dad together – wow, they were really something. It was hard to imagine two people more dedicated to each other. There was a time not that long ago, when watching them get affectionate was… well, icky. Now Kate had come to realize that it was… sweet. More than sweet, it was the model that she tried to use for her own marriage.

Naturally, that got Kate thinking about her amazing guy. Alex had been nothing short of incredible. She was so proud of him that she couldn't even talk about it without bawling. He had suffered through the past two years with a wife whose top priority was a campaign. And he had never complained – not once. Now it was his turn. Kate was about to spoil Alex rotten. She looked forward to attending to his every whim – in bed and out – for as long as it took to make sure that he knew how much she worshiped him.

Slowly, President Casey worked her way through the throng of dignitaries and officials to the family section of the platform. First she threw her arms around Alex. Kate couldn't help the grin over Alex's clear discomfort over this overt a showing of PDA, especially from the President of The United States – on live TV. But, to his credit, he squeezed her just as tightly as she was squeezing him. After all, Alex and Janice had grown very, very close. So close that he was staying on as an official advisor. It even meant that he would be traveling to Washington every once in a while.

Finally she was standing in front of Kate. And the tears were streaming down both of their faces. Kate opened her mouth – but no words would come. Finally as they embraced she was able to whisper, "Congratulations, Madame President. You did it. You completed your journey. I'm very, very proud of you."

Janice was holding Kate so tight that breathing was becoming an issue. "No, Katie," she said. "I didn't do it. We did it. You're not one percent as proud of me as I am of you. You kept your promise to me. You made me President and watched me take the oath as my Chief of Staff. It's time now that you got on with your life. We won't be working together any more – but to you I'm not the President. I'm your Aunt Janice. I'll gladly answer your call any time of the day or night – no matter how silly it seems. Are we clear?"

Kate couldn't help the grin that she knew was consuming her face. "Yes, Aunt Janice," she said. "We're very clear."

"Good," Janice said as she finally released her. "Now let's get out of here and celebrate. I'm cold."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was finally where she wanted to be - on the dance floor with her best guy. All the family was there – except for The President and her husband. After all, there were twenty-three official inaugural balls taking place this night. The President was expected to put in an appearance at each one. It came with the territory.

Everyplace that Sarah looked, a person that she loved was dancing – with someone that they loved. Ellie and Elise were clearly having an impromptu contest to see which couple could get the most intimate without crossing the line into inappropriateness. Joe and Elise were also clearly winning – if you were very liberal where you drew the line. Sparky and Heather had an obvious disadvantage. Heather's stomach kept them a ways apart – but they were still clearly the smoothest dancers. Alex and Kate were not the best dancers – by any stretch. But they were also clearly desperately in love. So that made up for a lot.

But Sarah's attention was inevitably drawn to Bryce and Amy. Technically, they weren't even dancing. Amy had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and they softly swayed to the music. They both looked – incredibly contented.

"She really loves him," Chuck said with a soft smile.

"I know," Sarah sighed. "She does. So does he. It's that obvious."

"She's really not a bad person," Chuck said gently. "I know that he's your baby. But maybe you could ease up on her a little? She's really desperate for you to accept her."

"I know," Sarah sighed. "I guess it's time to let her into the family. Maybe I could take her shopping. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Did you hear what Elise said?" Chuck asked in an obvious attempt to change the mood. "She bet Ellie ten bucks that she would have Joe in bed before you would have me in bed."

Sarah couldn't keep in the laugh. How could he always make her laugh? "You're so full of crap," she said. "Everybody knows that Ellie would never make a bet. Losing ten bucks is Ellie's worst nightmare."

"It was worth a shot," Chuck said with his own laugh. "Our life turned out pretty good didn't it?"

"It didn't turn out pretty good," Sarah said. "It turned out perfect. And the funny thing is – it gets better every day."

"That's all because of you," Chuck said softly. "You're the center of the known universe."

Sarah touched her lips to his – very gently. "Okay, sweet talker," she said. "Let's go."

"Go?" Chuck questioned. "Where are we going?"

"Come on, silly," Sarah said with that unmistakable twinkle in her eye. "I'm off to win ten bucks."

The End

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: I think it's been pretty clear that I was reluctant to end this arc. I knew that when I wrote a story that centered on original characters that it wouldn't get the support that my other stores did. Indeed, my reviews per chapter for Prodigal Daughter are less than half of Sexy Handler and Dark Intersect. And that was fine with me. It really was. I wrote this story mostly for myself - and I have to say, I enjoyed it, lol. Hopefully you did as well._

_Most of my stories start with a single vision and then I fill in the details around that vision. This one was no different. The fight scene between Shaw and Sarah was what inspired this story. I'm not sure why the show chose to pit Shaw and Chuck. That really didn't make much sense to me. Shaw's grudge was with Sarah._

_Of course that fight was originally supposed to happen at Red Mountain. My original plan was to have Kate actually fall victim to the plot and become seduced by the Ring. She was going to become the literal Prodigal Daughter. She would fall further into the allure of sex and drugs and finally be rescued by her true love – Paul. I quickly found that I liked Kate too much to put her through that, lol. I also found that I became intrigued by the love story between Kate and Alex – and how that paralleled Chuck and Sarah. Hopefully, you rooted for them._

_Perhaps my favorite chapter in all of my writing is The Wingman. Where Kate and Alex are both struggling to tell the other that they love them – and both are convinced that the other doesn't feel the same way. I'm also very proud of the action chapters where Elise turns two innocent kids into fearless warriors to attack an armed facility with no weapons other than her brains – and her good looks._

_Naturally, it's pretty clear that I love Elise – as a character that is. I completely understand that she's fictional – I do, lol. I have gotten several inquires as to what actress I would cast in her role. I'm not very good at that. So I'll just tell you who she reminds me of – Princess Fiona from Shrek (before she turns into an ogre, lol). I loved that she grew in this arc from a scared girl with zero self-esteem to a bold confident woman who fancies herself as cupid._

_Let's face it. The show is called Chuck – but Sarah is by far the most interesting character. In some of the other stories in this arc, Chuck was the hero. So I wanted to make Sarah the main hero in this one._

_What I hope comes across in this arc is my belief that the show is making a mistake. They don't have to fear putting Chuck and Sarah together. Indeed, the stories become more interesting when they fight their challenges as a couple – not as two individuals._

_One last word (I know that this A/N is getting longer than the chapter, lol). Since this likely ends my writing career, I would like to put in a word of encouragement for those folks who continue to produce these stories. I found out first hand that it is much harder than it looks. Coming up with a believable plot with suitable amounts of action, suspense, humor, and romance – all the while having each chapter be entertaining while continuing to advance the story and trying to keep the characters consistent within themselves is hard work. If you enjoy that hard work, please think about rewarding the author by writing a review. It only takes a second and, trust me on this, it makes a difference._

_There have been people who send me reviews on every single chapter. And I'd like to say a huge Thank You. It kept me going._

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